JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman track and field left the final split weekend of the regular season with first place finishes, national qualifying marks, and new school records this afternoon, April 27.
"There were great performances by so many of our athletes today," head track and field coach David Needs said. "We were very deliberate in keeping the number of events to a minimum, and it shows the strength of our staff to get such great performances out of our athletes".
During the second day of the App State Open, Verrol Sam and Oluwafemi Richards tied and won gold in the men's high jump with 2.10-meter marks. Richards grabbed a new personal best mark in the event.
"Kadidja set a school record today," Needs said. "She moved up into the top-10 in the nation, and her hard work is certainly paying off. She has set herself up for success as we head into the later part of our season".
Kadidja Sangare placed second in the women's long jump. Sangare finished the event with a 6.12-meter leap, a new personal best mark. Teammate Savannah Goodwin grabbed bronze in the event with a 5.79-meter performance. Sydney McCarty finished sixth (5.69 m), and Brooke Taylor finished eighth (5.61 m). Results from the App State Open can be found HERE.
At the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tenn., C-N men's 4x100-meter relay team won gold in 41.09. Shemar Patten, Amine Kasmi, Lucas Besong, and Dawson Jones each contributed to the first-place finish.
There were two 100-meter dash events for both men and women at the meet. Kasmi and Patten ran in one of the events. Kamsi finished second in 10.39. Patten grabbed 14th in the event in 10.85. Janaya Davis-Gainer ran for the women and finished 21st in 12.09.
"Sade also set a school record with her performance in the 100 dash," Needs said. "She is running one of the fastest times in the country in the event, and we are so proud of how she continues to grow as an athlete".
Sade De Sousa ran in a seperate first round of the 100-meter dash for the women. She finished first with a 11.38-second national qualifying time. Jones competed for the men and finished 12th in 10.58.
In the women's 400-meter race, Tytiana Wilson finished 12th in 56.96. Myke'Lah McMiller finished the race in 58.35 to grab 24th. Besong placed 12th for the men in 49.09, and Taylor Dupler placed 18th in 50.04. Ethan Blaylock finished 21st in 52.77.
During the first round of the men's 110-meter hurdles, Jeremiah Carroll finished 15th in 15.39. In the women's 400-meter hurdles, Lauren Tabor grabbed 11th in 1:05.56. Results from the Music City Challenge can be found HERE.
"It was a wonderful day in Boone, N.C. and Nashville, Tenn. today," Needs said. "It was great to see our athletes perform at a high level and set up seeding for the conference meet. We want to be peaking in our performance here in the next few weeks, and our athletes are showing that progress. We are excited to get back at it during conference championships".
Carson-Newman track and field will be back in action this Wednesday, May 1 at the 2024 SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Hickory, N.C. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
