JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman track and field athletes Kadidja Sangare and Sade De Sousa qualified to attend the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships beginning Friday, Mar. 8 in Pittsburg, Kan.
The 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships will consist of two days of competition beginning Friday, Mar. 8. The full list of women's entries to the meet can be found HERE. Carson-Newman track and field will send two athletes to Pittsburg, Kan. to compete at the national level.
"Both of these ladies have been All-Americans," head track and field coach David Needs said. "This is their third straight time going. What I love about these athletes is that when the moment gets big, they get bigger. They are not afraid of the challenge".
Sangare will attend the national competition for the long jump event. She won gold in the event during the 2024 SAC Indoor Track and Field Championships this past Saturday, Feb. 24 in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Eagles crowded the top-5 during the women's long jump finals. Sangare won gold with a 5.81-meter leap. Teammate Savannah Goodwin grabbed silver (5.72 m). Sydney McCarty stood third on the podium (5.63 m), and Brooke Taylor rounded out the top-5 (5.52 m) in the event.
"Kadidja brings so much to the team. She scored 18 points at the SAC Championships," Needs said. "She has this willingness and this confidence about her. No matter what you ask her to do, she will do it wholeheartedly. We could ask her to run the 3,000, and she would go out and give it her all".
Sangare also competed in the 60-meter hurdles at the SAC Championships. She left the finals with a second-place finish in 8.69 seconds.
"Kadidja is a great long jumper, but she's also a great hurdler," Needs said. "We're really proud of what she brings to the team, and we are confident in her ability to compete at a high level".
De Sousa will attend the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships for the 60-meter dash. During SAC Championships, De Sousa finished second in the women's 60-meter dash prelims with a 7.48-second national qualifying time. In the finals, De Sousa placed second in 7.46 seconds.
"What we get from Sade is we know we have an elite sprinter," Needs said. "She has a great level of consistency. She's been injured for most of the season, so to be able to come out and run a nationally elite time is awesome. When you look at these ladies, they aren't just good at Carson-Newman or good in the conference, they are good in the world. To be at that level, you need that quiet determination. They are driven to success, and that is what makes both of them so special".
Carson-Newman track and field will send two athletes to the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships beginning Friday, Mar. 8. Live results can be found HERE. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
