VIDEO: David Needs Interview 

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.—Four days removed from the finale of the 2017 indoor campaign, Carson-Newman track and field coach David Needs has revealed the slate for the Eagles in the outdoor campaign that features two meets at the nearby Volunteer campus with another voyage to the legendary Penn Relays. 

The Eagles will compete in a total of four meets as a complete team while at least two other treks will be for select athletes trying to qualify for the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships that will be held once again in sunny Bradenton, Fla. at the prestigious IMG Academy.

C-N will open the season with a trip to conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne as the Bears host the Power Sox Invitational to kick off the season once again. From there, the Eagles will spend their next two meets in Knoxville, Tenn. at the University of Tennessee for the Rust Buster and Sea Rays meets before heading back to Hickory N.C. for the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championships.

"Tennessee has a new track this season after redoing it over the last year," Needs said. "Our thought is that we can go there and compete against some of the best runners in the United States. Its great exposure and a great chance for us to compete competitively close to home."

Following the conference tilt, Carson-Newman will begin to ramp up individual completions by sending select athletes to various meets in preparation to qualify for the outdoor showcase. Two of these meets that are marked on the calendar as of now will be the 122^nd Penn Relays, as well as the North Carolina A&T Last Chance Meet on May 13. 

In order to duplicate successful results that C-N experience a season ago, the team from Mossy Creek will have to count on yet again a number of veterans who are coming off impressive years.

Aside from the likes of T.J. Davis (Chattanooga Tenn.), Marshall Shank (Granite Quarry, N.C.), Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.), Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) and Tiana Mills (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Needs and the rest of the coaching staff will be expecting a number of young athletes to step up and produce positive results for the 2017 season. 

"The outdoor season is so short and you really only get a couple of meets before conference," Needs said. "Some of our younger athletes really need to maximize their efforts in that short time. In track, you have been training all year long, so it's not like you're starting a new season, but more of picking up where you left off from the indoor season."

For those returning, Stepp boasts the most experience as the four-time All-American just came off another NCAA qualifying year in the 2017 indoor sector. Stepp placed fourth-overall at the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships while coming in second at the South Atlantic Conference Championships.

Gaul and Mills are also coming off outdoor qualifying seasons a year ago as the duo both made treks to the championships site in Bradenton, Fla. C-N's record holder in the women's pole vault, Gaul, finished 19^th at the games after posting a 3.65 meter mark after winning the event at the SAC meet. The now junior's career-best outdoor mark 3.81 meters. Mills, who also holds both the Eagle indoor and outdoor record for women's long and triple jumps posted a 21^st-place showing at the Championships a season ago with an 11.89 meter mark.  

Mills is only a season removed from claiming the 2015 SAC Women Field Athlete of the Year Award.

Davis and Ray Artybidge (Iva, S.C.) are coming off successful outdoor season in the long jumping competition as the former has posted back-to-back appearances at the prestigious Penn Relays—a meet that welcomes only the top track & field athletes in the nation on a yearly basis. Davis holds C-N's indoor long jumping record with a 7.24 mark but it was Artybidge that stole show a season ago by winning the SAC championship in the event with a mark of 7.09 meters.

Shank returns for a sophomore season in the creek after posting a successful freshman season a year ago. The Granite Quarry, N.C. native holds both the C-N men's pole vaulting records and was a SAC and Southeast Region champion as a rookie. Shank is a three-time Southeast Region selectee and is looking to continue success now in his second outdoor campaign.

Carson-Newman will begin its outdoor season with a trip over to a familiar surface at Lenoir--Rhyne for the annual Power Sox Invitational on March 18. Stay tuned into cneagles.com for complete coverage of the Eagle outdoor track and field team throughout the season.

2017 Carson-Newman Track & Field Outdoor Schedule

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