LYNCHBURG, Va.—Carson-Newman track and field coach David Needs sent Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.), Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) and Marshall Shank (Granite Quarry, N.C.) to Virginia on Wednesday for a mid-week tune up at the Liberty Twilight Invitational as all three athletes tried to solidify their chances for the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the coming weeks.
"We are so proud of Marshall, Tori and Kevin. They completed their final exmas and then instead of taking some well deserved time off, they sought to compete at a very competitive Division I meet," Needs said. "Tori has been recovering from a hamstring issue and yet she still has the fire to improve her excellent mark. She is a true competitor. Marshall aslo has a strong desire to always improve and we are blessed to have him."
Snead, who is all but locked into the Championships in June, competed in both the men's 100m and 200m dashes Wednesday afternoon. After posting a third-best time of 10.38 seconds in the 100m prelims, the Richmond, Va. native false started and was disqualified when the finals sector rolled around at the tail end of the day.
Still, the 10.38 second time in the prelims heat was the third time the junior has ran in the 10.3's this season having ran a season-best 10.33 second time on April 9 at the Aggie Invitational.
The sprinters day continued in the men's 200m dash where Snead posted a second-best time of 20.95 seconds while finishing behind Ottawa's Segun Makinde who placed first overall. The time was the second-fastest in C-N's program history. Snead holds the school record after completing the trial in 20.75 seconds on April 22 at the Jessie Owens Track & Field Classic at Ohio State University.
The 20.98 second time marked the second time Carson-Newman's Frosty award winner for Male Newcomer of the Year has ran below a 21.00 second time on the season.
"For Kevin, he ran the second fastest 200 meter and third fastest 100 meter time in Carson-Newman history aganist a loaded field of strong sprinters," Needs said. "His wind legal time of 20.95 seconds in the 200 meter dash will move him up considerably in the world rankings."
The Eagles' other participants on the day was their pole vaulters. Gaul recorded a third-place finish of 3.56m in the event. The vaulter was coming off a 3.61m leap that won the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Track & Field Championships on April 15.
Shank put fourth a 4.37m mark on the men's side to finish in the top-10 at ninth overall.
Stay tuned into cneagles.com for updates on the rest of Carson-Newman's outdoor track and field season before the start of the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Kevin Snead
100 meter Prelims: 3rd- 10.38 seconds
100 meter Finals: DQ
200 meter Dash: 2nd- 20.95 seconds
Tori Gaul
Pole Vault: 3rd- 3.56 meters
Marshall Shank
Pole Vault: 9th- 4.37 meters
-CN-