NEW ORLEANS—Carson-Newman was well represented once again as six athletes were tabbed to the 2017 All-Southeast Region squad in six different events to cap off a successful outdoor campaign the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced Tuesday afternoon.

The six athletes the Eagles posted on the regional sector include Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.), Christian Stumpf (Johnson City, Tenn.), Marshall Shank (Granite Quarry, N.C.) and Kristofer Potts-Howard (Tullahoma, Tenn.) on the men's side while Tiana Mills (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) represented C-N on the women's team.

Highlighting the impressive feat for Carson-Newman track and field were three Southeast Regional championships by Mills in the women's long jump, Gaul in the women's pole vault and Stepp in the men's high jump.

"Today is a step forward for our program and we are very proud of our regional championships. Division II track only continues to get better and better. The fact that they can be a champion in any event in our region is special," C-N coach David Needs said. "To earn All-Region in any event is certainly special and it goes to the quality of their athleticism. Those individuals have gotten to where they are because they work hard and want to be successful. We as coaches are very blessed."

Coming off a South Atlantic Conference Championship in the event, Mills snags her fifth All-region honor of her career while recording a career-long leap of 5.81 meters at the conference showdown. The mark was a provisional qualification at the time. The senior also gets the postseason honor for the women's triple jumping event to cap off a stellar four-year career after recording a season-best 11.71 meter mark at the at the conference championships as well en route to a second-place tally.

Gaul concluded an injury-plagued junior season on a high-note with her fourth career honor from the region. The women's pole vaulter recorded a season-high 3.68 meter mark at the Mountaineer Open on April 28 where she took home fourth-place honors. Prior to the SAC Championships on April 14, Gaul had not been able to clear a bar due to nagging hamstring injuries. Still, the vaulter finished strong with five jumps nearing at least 3.60 meters with two gold medals.

Carson-Newman men's regional champion is Stepp in the men's high jump as the junior shares the title with Wingate's Isiah Kyle with a mark of 2.13 meters at the SAC meet. The two passed the same bar at the conference championships, but it was Kyle who took home first-place honors due to the fact that he reached the height on his first try.    

The honor is the sixth of the jumper's career as Stepp has now been placed on the All-Southeast Region team at the conclusion of every indoor and outdoor campaign of his career. Two weeks following the league showdown, Stepp took home a third-place ribbon at the 123^rd running of the historic Penn Relays in the elite men's high jump event.

Stepp is a virtual lock the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which is set to take place on May 26 in Bradenton. Fla., when the committee announces the field in the coming days.

Aside from the three regional championships, C-N sported three more men who made appearances on the list.

Both Shank and Stumpf each picked up their second career-honor Tuesday afternoon as the former did it in the men's pole vault while the latter secured a spot in the men's high jump section. Shank, only a sophomore, tallied a season-high 4.41 meters at the SAC Championships while fellow sophomore, Stumpf, recorded his season-best of 2.00 meters back at the Lenoir-Rhyne Power Sox Invitational on March 18.

The Eagles' final selection to the All-Southeast Region team included Potts-Howard in both the men's long and triple jumps. Coming out of nowhere during his sophomore campaign, Potts-Howard exploded on the scene with the nation's 19^th-best long jumping tally of 7.44 meters at the Tennessee Rust Buster on March 25. The mark propelled the jumper into second-place in the Carson-Newman outdoor record books.

The sophomore also recorded a career-high, at the time, tally in the men's triple jump as the 14.56 meter mark, coupled with the stellar long jump tally, positioned the sophomore into receiving his first-career SAC Field Athlete of the Week honor. Potts-Howard later went on to break his own personal-record in the event at the league championships with a second-place finish of 14.57 meters.

Currently sitting on the bubble of national consideration, Potts-Howard waits anxiously to see if his name will be announced by the NCAA Track & Field Committee to represent C-N as a long jumper at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Stay tuned into cneagles.com for continual coverage of the Carson-Newman track and field team.

Carson-Newman All-Southeast Recipients

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