VIDEO: David Needs Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.—With two weeks remaining to qualify for the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Carson-Newman coach David Needs will send sprinter Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.) to Clemson for the Tiger Paw Invitational and the distance runners and pole vaulters to Winston Salem, N.C. for the JDL UCS Invitational for a weekend pack of action.
"One of the things we are trying to do is to have a big week next week," Needs said. "Next week is the last week to qualify, so we want to make sure that a lot of our athletes are rested and ready to go back out there next week."
Snead, who was originally supposed to compete at Clemson a week prior, is coming off a win in the men's 60 meter dash at the Roanoke Finn Pincus Innovational. The senior roasted a field of sprinters with a time of 6.88 seconds in the finals round after running a season-best 6.86 seconds in the preliminary race.
The Richmond, Va. native will also compete in the sector Saturday afternoon at the JDL Fast Track, where the rest of the Eagle athletes are competing on the weekend, to give himself two chances on the weekend to qualify before a last chance opportunity in the coming week.
Snead wrapped up the 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships with a 10th-place finish of 6.81 seconds in the trial and was awarded his first of three All-American honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The speedster holds the C-N record for the event with a 6.73 second time.
"We have him in two meets this weekend, so we are hoping that he can really go and do some things well from a starting standpoint," Needs said. "Even in a race that is as short as 60 meters, you need to be patient with your start. Both Clemson and the JDL Team Meet will sport a lot of fast runners, so we are hoping he feels well enough to give it a go at both places."
Aside from Snead in the sprints, both Marshall Shank (Granite Quarry, N.C.) and Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) will take part in events at the JDL UCS Invitational with hopes of gaining national qualifications in the pole vault event.
Gaul, who has battled injuries for the duration of the season to date, has yet to record a height on the season. The junior made her first trek to the national stage a season ago-- becoming the first Carson-Newman female participant in the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. The reigning Southeast Region women's pole vaulting champion holds the C-N indoor record in the event with a mark of 3.90 meters.
Shank has recorded two placings thus far into the season despite battling injuries of his own during his sophomore campaign in an Eagle uniform. The Granite Quarry, N.C. native recorded a season-best 4.40 meters at the Buccaneer Track & Field Invitational on Feb. 4. As a freshman a year ago, Shank broke both the Carson-Newman men indoor and outdoor pole vaulting records en route to a Southeast Regional championship in both seasons.
"One of the things they both need to do is to have big jumps on big bars," Needs said. "It is a progression to get to that big point and how well you do in that situation. We are hoping that when we get these opportunities like we will this weekend, that they take advantage of them and put themselves in good position going forward."
Antony Jackson (Manchester, Tenn.), Amos Korir (Eldorett, Kenya), Priscah Jemeli (Eldorett, Kenya) and Sara Honaker (Mason, Ohio) will also lead a number of the C-N distance runners who will compete throughout the weekend.
"Some of the distance kids have been off for a week, so we are trying to bring them back along," Need said. "This is not like other team sports. It's not like a football team where you have a game one week and the whole team goes. In track, it is more of an individual sport and you like to find the facilities and surfaces that work well for them."
Keep up with the Carson-Newman track and field team on the road this weekend by following the club's Twitter account at @CN_Track. A recap following each day of competition will also be available at cneagles.com.
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