JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman track and field is headed to the Catamount Classic in Cullowhee, N.C. for a two-day meet beginning Friday, April 19.
"The competition we will face this weekend is primarily Division I," head track and field coach David Needs said. "We'll see a lot of the teams we saw last week, but there will be other teams in our conference as well. It's a two-day meet, and our goal is to hone in on those details".
The Catamount Classic is hosted by Western Carolina. The first day of competition will begin Friday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. On Saturday, April 20, the Eagles will compete again at 11:30 a.m. The full meet schedule can be found HERE.
Carson-Newman track and field will send only distance runners and javelin throwers to Cullowhee, N.C. The rest of the team will stay in Mossy Creek before competing next weekend as the Eagles prepare for the 2024 SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
"It's been a long, long year," Needs said. "Some of our athletes are feeling the things that come with a long track season. We feel like we can take some this week, like distance runners, because next weekend is four days before our conference championship. Next weekend, sprinters and jumpers can recover a little bit quicker, but for our distance people, there would be no chance to be ready".
The Eagles are coming off a successful outing at the Asheville Bulldog Invite in Asheville, N.C. where the team competed against a largely Division I group. C-N track and field left the meet with numerous first-place finishes and personal best performances.
"We felt really good about the results," Needs said. "To win so many events at a primarily Divsion I meet really says a lot about the level of our athletes".
The Eagles swept the 400 dash. Tytiana Wilson won the women's 400-meter dash in 57.28, and Lucas Besong grabbed gold in the men's 400 dash in 49.29. Sade De Sousa placed first in the women's 100-meter dash in 11.76. In the men's 200-meter dash, Amine Kasmi won gold in 21.11. In the men's high jump, freshman Verrol Sam won gold with a 2.05-meter mark, and Kadidja Sangare won gold in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Sangare finished the race in 14.19.
"We also saw a lot of personal records last week. You get excited because you are seeing that athlete at the best they've ever been," Needs said. "We had such a breakthrough with our javelin throwers last week. We had a bunch of personal records. We're hoping that this weekend is another breakthrough moment, and then we can rest this group and turn the engine on for a lot of the other ones the following week".
In the women's javelin throw, Kellie Ivens finished 11th with a 25.50-meter mark. Itzel Ayala-Renteria finished 14th with a 24.67-meter mark, and Maggie Hope grabbed the 18th spot with a 22.81-meter performance. James Duncan grabbed fifth in the men's javelin throw with a 40.29-meter mark.
Carson-Newman track and field is two weeks out from the 2024 SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships that are set to begin Wednesday, May 1. The Eagles will compete for the next two weekends in preparation for the conference meet.
Carson-Newman track and field is headed to the Catamount Classic in Cullowhee, N.C. for a two-day meet beginning tomorrow, April 19. Live results can be found HERE. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
