INDIANAPOLIS—Carson-Newman received word Tuesday evening that sprinter Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.) and high jumper Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.) will be representing the Eagles at the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala. throughout the weekend of March 9-11.
The national stage will present the best indoor track and field athletes in the nation with a chance to win both team and individual national championships. C-N's last and only track and field national champion was long jumper Larry Cooke at the indoor sector in 1977.
To qualify for indoor nationals, each athlete must be ranked in the top-16 in their event to get an automatic bit. Circumstances often call for additional athletes to make the cut and sometimes up to 20 athletes per event make the trip to the national stage.
Hoping to add to that list will be both Snead and Stepp as the duo will be making back-to-back trips to nationals in as many years. In fact, this will be Stepp's fifth national appearance as the junior has qualified for nationals at the tail end of each indoor and outdoor campaign to begin his career.
Both athletes rank in the nation's top-10 in their respected events and both were named to the 2017 Southeast Regional indoor squad Monday morning by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
"They are both veterans, so they aren't going for the ecpeirence. They are going to win. Each is capable of doing that when they are at their very best. If Kevin runs his best and Tanner jumps the highest he can, we will be sitting pretty," coach David Needs said. "The level of competition and expectations are high, but I feel good about the two guys. Tanner, to his credit, is making his fifth-straight trip to nationals and that's rare. For Kevin, each week he has a new opportunity to go out and bring his best. They are both prepared and they have both competed against the best in the country—regardless of division. They know what it takes."
For Snead, the senior will be going into the competition ranked as Division II's fifth-fastest 60 meter dash sprinter. The Richmond, Va. native trails only Mobolade Ajomale (Academy of Art), Lester Miller (Shorter), Reginald Thomas (Tiffin) and Marquett Simmons Jr. (Limestone) in the event.
At the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb. 17, Snead ran a season-best time of 6.75 seconds in the event. The time was only 0.02 seconds off a career-best posted at the UCS Invitational on Feb. 20 of last year. Snead is hoping to reel in his fourth-career All-American honor when the meet begins after coming off an impressive debut season for C-N a year ago.
As a junior college transfer during the 2015-16 indoor season, Snead posted a 10th-place finish of 6.81 seconds in the 60 meter run at the 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. The newcomer was a regional champion in the event and followed up with two more regional and Sout Atlantic Conference championships en route to All-American campaigns in the 100 and 200 meter dash during the outdoor campaign.
Stepp, the most decorated Carson-Newman track and field athlete of all-time, looks to add some more hardware to his collection with another go at it at the indoor nationals. The junior has ended every season to date, both indoor and outdoor, with an All-American plaque, but is still chasing down a national championship.
In an interview with the Eagle Sports Network during the first week of February, Stepp insisted that winning a national championship is his motivation.
"A thing that my brother Tyler has always told me is that you can either be an All-American or the National Champion," Tanner Stepp said. "You can come in second place but only be an All-American. Considering I have not won the National Championship yet, that is what keeps me hungry. That is the next step and that is what I am trying to work to accomplish."
Motivated to accomplish this feat, Stepp has not missed a beat thus far as a junior during the indoor campaign as the local product leaped a season-best of 2.11 meters at the Buccaneer Invitational on Feb. 2. All five of Stepp's jumps this season have been either 2.00 meters or better while three have surpassed the 2.06 meter mark.
Stepp is currently tied for seventh in Division II, along with Cameron Burrows (Tiffin), Trey Everett (Findlay) and Michael Sandle (Minnesota State), with the 2.11 meter mark. The foursome fall just behind Barton's Lawrence Russel Jr. (2.13 meters), Minnesota State's Jeff DeCock (2.13 meters), Grand Valley State's Hunter Weeks (2.15 metrs), Ashland's Myles Pringle (2.17 meters), Wingate's Isaiah Kyle (2.17 meters) and Saint Martin's Mikel Smith (2.12 meters).
At the 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, Stepp finished with a sixth-place showing of 2.06 meters after claiming the Track Athlete of the Year honor from the Southeast Region.
The 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex while the University of Alabama Huntsville and the City of Birmingham will serve as co-hosts for the meet. The showcase will sport a total of 540 participants that comprise of both 270 men and women. The championships will be streamed live at www.NCAA.com from March 9-11.
To see the complete qualifying list for the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, please click here.
Live updates throughout the championships can be found on Twitter by following the Eagles' team account at @CN_Track. A full preview leading up to the event can be found at cneagles.com as well as recaps following each day of events.
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