SALEM, Va. – The first events of the 2017-18 indoor track & field season have commenced for Carson-Newman after day one of the Bast-Cregger Invitational at Roanoke College.
Senior Tanner Stepp, who was the National runner-up in the high jump back in May in the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, recorded a first place-finish with a mark of 2.08 meters in the high jump.
Stepp has made it to the Outdoor Championships in the high jump every year at Carson-Newman.
The Jefferson City native missed on his first two attempts at the 2.08 height before edging the third. Stepp then missed all three attempts at 2.11 meters.
Only one other high jumper from Mary Washington made it the 2.08 meter height, although ended up missing in all three of his attempts.
Samantha Gudger collected a third-place finish in the women's high jump completing her third attempt at a height of 1.63 meters. The native of Britsol, Tenn. finished behind Radford's Alexis Walton who topped 1.68 meters on the first attempt.
Second-place Mara Briggs out of Roanoke finished the 1.63 meter height on the first try but fell short on all three attempts at 1.68 meters.
Shelby Reynolds and Stephanie Johnson also competed in the event with the sophomore Reynolds in an eight-way tie at No. 13 topping out at 1.43 meters, and Johnson in a four-way tie at 22nd at the same height, however it took a second attempt to Reynolds one.
Day two of the Bast-Cregger Invitational will wrap up on Saturday, Dec. 2.
