JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman track and field team will send a pair of Eagles to participate in the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships located in Bradenton, Fla. May 25-27.
Kristofer Potts-Howard (Tullahoma, Tenn.) will be first up for the Eagles during the Championships this weekend. The sophomore will participate in flight one of the men's long jump final at 6:20 p.m. on Thursday, May 25.
Potts-Howard exploded on to the stage at the Tennessee Rust Buster meet. The native of Tullahoma, Tennessee recorded a second-place jump of 7.44 meters in the long jump event. The jump was the second best in the Carson-Newman record book. Following the meet, Potts-Howard was named SAC Field Athlete of the Week.
The sophomore also posted three jumps greater than 7.20 meters throughout the season, one of which came at the Penn Relays and was good enough for a seventh-place finish. Potts-Howard was also named to the Southeast Region postseason team for both the long and triple jumps.
The second athlete that Carson-Newman is sending to the Outdoor Championships is Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.). Stepp is no stranger to the national spotlight, he has made it to the championship round in both the indoor and outdoor seasons the last two years.
During his freshman season Stepp placed ninth with a high jump of 2.10 meters. The following season the Jefferson City native placed fourth with a jump of 2.13 meters at the Outdoor Championships.
This season Stepp placed second at the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championships with a jump of 2.13 meters. The junior recorded a 2.12 meter mark at the elite high jump competition at the Penn Relays on April 30.
Stepp has been named a Southeast Region performer in both the indoor and outdoor seasons every year at Carson-Newman. In 2015 he was named the Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year for the indoor season. Stepp has four All-American honors coming into the Outdoor Championships.
Stepp will compete in the men's high jump final on Saturday, May 27 at 5:30 p.m. The Championships will be streamed live on NCAA.com each day.
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