Freeman leads Eagles in day one of ETSU Invitational

Posted: Jan 15, 2016

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.--Multi-event athlete Randall Freeman (Chattanooga, Tenn.) joins an elite group today as the senior provisionally qualified for indoor nationals in the triple jump while the Eagles competed in day one of the East Tennessee State University Track & Field Invitational Friday in Johnson City, Tenn.

Freeman leaped 14.37m, good enough for fifth-place, in the triple jump to accomplish the feat this afternoon. He, along with four other Eagles, have set the standard high in qualifying for the postseason honor in just the first three meets of the season.

"There is a great mix of competition up here this weekend. A lot of really good Division I, II, III and NAIA schools have shown out today," Needs said. "You want to hear the words Carson-Newman over the loud speaker and we heard that a lot. Those are the things that you want to see consistently."

The senior was not the only Eagle who made headlines on the day, as multiple Carson-Newman athletes recorded personal bests and a few others set indoor school records as the Eagles put on a show in the Division I-heavy, 30-plus team meet.

Junior sprinter Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.) provisionally qualified for nations in last weekend's David E. Walker Kickoff Classic, but that did not stop the college transfer from one-upping himself from a week ago. Snead broke his own school record of 6.83 seconds in the 60m dash today, accomplishing the feat in 6.78 seconds this go around.

Snead's impressive showing positioned himself into the finals tomorrow morning and his Division II ranking in the event soared all the way to No. 2 in the nation.

"Kevin's [Snead] story is still left to be written because of tomorrow, but it's pretty nice to see where he is now," Needs said. "I'm really looking forward to seeing him run in the finals and to see what he can do."

Sophomore Rayshawn Tiller Jr. (Duval County, Fla.) also set a school record on the day for the Eagles, completing the 400m dash with a time of 51.36 seconds en route to a 23^rd-place finish. Aaron Seward (Charlotte, N.C.) recorded a personal best in the event as well, as the junior notched a 52.19 second time in the 33^rd position.

Marshall Shank (Granite Quarry, N.C.) notched the Carson-Newman indoor school record in the pole vault after heaving over a 4.45m mark. The freshman claimed a third-place finish overall.

In the 200m dash, Carson-Newman had two more athletes record a personal records. Matt Rust (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Kristofer Potts-Howard (Tullahoma, Tenn.) notched 22.57 and 22.89 times—good enough for 22^nd and 44^th-place finishes.

Rust's finish also topped an eagle indoor record.

Samantha Gudger (Bristol, Tenn.) had the highest-placing finish for the Carson-Newman women in day one of the ETSU Invitational. The sophomore leaped 1.61m in the high jump for a third-place result.

"What a track coach wants to see is improvement from week to week and that's all I'm seeing right now," Needs said. "Seeing a mark of consistency is what I like. Individuals make that up, but the whole team is doing that right now."

Two more Eagles made their season debut's Friday afternoon in ETSU's Mini-Dome.

Tianna Mills (Chattanooga, Tenn.) finally gave it a go today after nursing injuries for the first few weeks of the season. The junior recorded an 11.41m mark in the triple jump—good enough for fifth place overall.

Bre Lockett (Fontana, Calif.) took part in her first collegiate track meet of her career on Friday, only to lead all C-N women throwers in the shot put. The senior recorded a 10.54 mark for 16^th-place in the event.

"What you look for in your athletes is how well they execute technique. We had a lot of people do well because they executed proper technique and they are getting better," Needs said. "As a coach, I was pleased, but I don't want to use this as the high mark. It is a step in the process and with the people we have, they know that and will continue to work."

Day two of events will begin at approximately 8 a.m. tomorrow morning in ETSU's Mini-Dome. For up-to-the-minute information regarding the meet and all the Carson-Newman athletes, track the live scoring here, or follow us on twitter at @CN_Track and @CNathletics.

Carson-Newman Women

60m Hurdles

23) Samantha Gudger 9.63

37) Shanice Williams 10.23

400m Dash

48) Madison Pickel 64.48

60m Dash

66) Jessica Capron 8.56

200m Dash

54) Cassie Smith 26.93

99) Brianna Hunter 28.45

Triple Jump