NEW ORLEANS, La. – Eight Carson-Newman Eagles were honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as All-Region members for the 2018 NCAA Division II outdoor season.
The top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region distinction.
Samantha Gudger, Noah Robertson and Tanner Stepp each claimed the top performance in their respective events in the southeast region to earn a region title.
Gudger earned the top all-southeast region spot in the long jump after clearing a distance of 5.87 meters at the Falcon Finale and Multi-Last Chance meet over the weekend. The jump marked a new school record and a lifetime best for the senior, sitting her 29th in the nation. Gudger also claimed the South Atlantic Conference title in the event in Charlotte at 5.70 meters. ]
"Samantha is proof that it is never too late to win a region championship as she did it on her last jump of the season," Coach David Needs said.
Robertson was the leading pole vaulter in the southeast region after claiming the SAC title in the event last month. The freshman's top mark of the 2018 outdoor season came back on April 6 when he cleared 4.41 meters, the second-highest mark of his C-N career, at the High Point VertKlasse meet. It's the second all-region selection for Robertson after claiming the homor following the indoor season.
Tanner Stepp, who joined Robertson and Gudger as SAC Champions, was the southeast region's top performer in the high jump. The 2018 Indoor National Champion's high mark came at the league championships after clearing 2.11 meters. The height sits the senior tied for 12th in the nation.
Tori Gaul claimed her second all-region honor of the year in the pole vault after winning the league title in the event in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. The Salisbury, N.C. native's high mark came in Charlotte at the SAC Championships after clearing 3.81 meters.
Caleb Agee joined the list of all-southeast region honorees in the 400 meter hurdles after earning a conference title in the event alongside five other Eagles. The time of 53.78 seconds marked a new college-best for Agee.
Freshman Trayzel Jureidini-Wyche earned his first all-region honor after notching a top-five performance this season in the discus after notching all-conference honors with a throw of 46.52 meters, a new personal-best.
Kieran Showler-Davis was the lone Eagle to earn all-region in two separate events, claiming top-five times in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes.
The native of Winchester, England topped all SAC sprinters in the 100 in the league championships breezing past the competition with a time of 10.37 seconds. The senior also notched a time of 10.34 at the Montreat Invitational to go along with his season low time in the 200 at 21.20 seconds.
3️⃣ Eagles earn a Southeast Region Title following the announcement from the @USTFCCCA! Congrats to Noah Robertson, Samantha Gudger and Tanner Stepp! pic.twitter.com/3aU05gddZl
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) May 15, 2018
"I'm proud of all of them," Coach Needs added. "It's a great blend of upperclassmen and freshman. For Tori and Tanner it is great to see a career of great performances. Trayzel and Noah were also great mid-year recruits who came in and excelled."
On the men's side, a total of 688 athletes earned 935 All-Region honors from 176 different institutions. A total of eight programs had 20 or more All-Region selections.
A total of 640 women from 151 different institutions picked up 929 All-Region honors. Only three women's programs totaled 20 or more All-Region honors.
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