AUSTIN, Texas – Carson-Newman's track and field teams placed three athletes on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday at noon.
Pole vaulter Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) repeats as an all-district honoree while high jumper Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.) and jumper Tiana Mills (Chattanooga, Tenn.) make the eam for the first time.
All three athletes were also named all-region by the USTFCCCA.
Stepp competes this weekend at the NCAA Championship meet for a third consecutive outdoor season.
Stepp and Wingate's Isiah Kyle share the top mark in the region for the high jump with leaps 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.
Stepp has now been placed on the All-Southeast Region team at the conclusion of every indoor and outdoor campaign of his career. However, this is the junior's first academic accolade. Two weeks following the league showdown, Stepp took home a third-place ribbon at the 123rd running of the historic Penn Relays in the elite men's high jump event.
Gaul concluded an injury-plagued junior season on a high-note as a four-time all-region honoree. 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.
Coming off a South Atlantic Conference Championship in the long jump, Mills is a five-time all-region choice. She recorded a career-long leap of 5.81 meters at the conference showdown. The mark was a provisional qualification at the time. The senior also earned all-region honors for the women's triple jump to cap off a stellar four-year career after recording a season-best 11.71 meter mark at the at the conference championships. She finished second in the league at the event.
NCAA DIVISION II (Conference Carolinas, Peach Belt, South Atlantic)
FIRST TEAM
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Makenzi Alley TUSCULUM So. Cincinnati, Ohio 3.95 Biology
Abigail Bozarth ANDERSON (SC) So. Summerville, S.C. 4.00 Kinesiology
Madeline Buddenberg ANDERSON (SC) So. Simpsonville, S.C. 4.00 Nursing
Joy Diaz CLAYTON STATE Sr. Riverdale, Ga. 4.00 Theatre
Tori Gaul CARSON-NEWMAN Jr. Salisbury, N.C. 4.00 Biology
Grace Gerlock ANDERSON (SC) Sr. Jonesborough, Tenn. 3.92 Nursing
Valerie Griesche WINGATE Jr. Ingolstadt, Germany 4.00 Biology
Alyssa Johnson WINGATE Sr. San Jose, Calif. 4.00 Elementary education
Haylee Love ANDERSON (SC) Jr. Lexington, S.C. 3.67 Graphic design
Tiana Mills CARSON-NEWMAN Sr. Chattanooga, Tenn. 3.90 Communications
Lucie Noall QUEENS (NC) So. Clarksburg, Md. 3.90 Biology
Haylea Salamon LENOIR-RHYNE Jr. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 3.93 Exercise science
Liz Thierfelder BELMONT ABBEY Sr. Gastonia, N.C. 3.65 English / theology
Cheyenne Thompson MONTEVALLO Sr. Chelsea, Ala. 4.00 Biochemistry
NCAA DIVISION II (Conference Carolinas, Peach Belt, South Atlantic)
FIRST TEAM
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Brandon Beard MARS HILL Jr. Fairfield, Ohio 3.79 Business administration
Javier Bustos Jaimes FRANCIS MARION Jr. Eagle Springs, N.C. 3.88 Industrial engineering
Jonathan Dahlke MOUNT OLIVE Jr. Cologne, Germany 3.68 Psychology
Austin Greeson WINGATE Sr. Burlington, N.C. 3.76 Religious studies
Aubrey Hite LENOIR-RHYNE Jr. Pelion, S.C. 3.87 Biology
Nathan Jones MARS HILL Sr. Lenoir City, Tenn. 3.80 Math
Devin Nelson FRANCIS MARION Jr. Bloomfield, Conn. 3.80 Marketing
Henning Schein ARMSTRONG STATE Jr. Vellmar, Germany 3.95 Rehabilitation sciences
Tanner Stepp CARSON-NEWMAN Jr. Jefferson City, Tenn. 3.74 Accounting
Jacob Troutman WINGATE Sr. Aberdeen, N.C. 3.97 Chemistry / mathematics
