Freeman provisionally qualifies again as the Eagles conclude action at the Buccaneer Invitational

Posted: Feb 06, 2016

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn— The Carson-Newman indoor track and field team wrapped up day two of events at the second-annual Buccaneer Invitational Saturday with five top-five finishes and another provisional qualification with Randall freeman (Chattanooga, Tenn.) in the men's heptathlon.

The Eagle concluded his men's heptathlon trials Saturday with a fourth overall finish. After taking part in the first four events of the contest on Friday, Freeman competed in the 60m hurdles and pole vault sectors Saturday afternoon.

The multi-event specialist placed fifth in the 60m hurdles following a 9.01 second time and seventh in the pole vault after tallying a 3.44m mark. Freeman's fourth overall finish in the six-event showcase was good enough for a provisional qualification for the indoor nationals in the event.

"Where he finished in each event this weekend was just great," coach David Needs said. "Randall competed on pure guts today, especially in the 1000m run. I couldn't be more proud of him."

Junior Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.) also finished fourth overall in the men's 60m dash finals segment Saturday morning after completing the race in 6.84 seconds. The run was the third race in two days for the Eagle sprinter and further solidifies his stance as one of the elite competitors in the event.

Tori Gaul (Salisbury, N.C.) wrapped up another impressive day in the women's pole vault as the sophomore completed the challenge with a 3.45m for a third-place finish. Gaul, who has already provisionally qualified in the event, has consistently placed above 3.40m in every meet this season with the exception of the Appalachian Open to begin the season.

A pair of Eagle high jumpers tied for a third-place showing in the event on Saturday. Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.) and Christian Stumpf (Johnson City, Tenn.) each recorded a leap of 2.02m in Saturday's showcase.

"We didn't have the marks and measures we might have wanted today, but it's all about the growing process," Needs said. "Every time you go out there, you aren't going to be perfect, but I have to be pleased with the little things that happened today."

Carson-Newman featured its relay teams for the first time on the season at the Buccaneer Invitational. Both the women and men's team fielded relay teams that took part in the 4 X 400m relay.

On the women's side, Madison Pickel (Sevierville, Tenn.), Cassie Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.), Aiyana Martino (Kalispell, Mont.) and Sarah Sharp (Lewis Center, Ohio) completed the race with a 4:18.46 time for a 26^th-place finish.

The men, who showcased two different teams in the realy, both finished with top-35 times on the day. Timontrez Eady (Duval County, Fla.) teamed up with Anthony Jackson (Manchester, Tenn.), Matt Rust (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Rayshawn Tiller Jr. (Duval County, Fla.) for a 20^th-best showing of 3:27.15.

Stumpf, along with Colin Smith (Duval County, Fla.), Matthew Melton (Powell, Tenn.) and Joshua Marsh (Orlando, Fla.) accumulated a 3:38.02 time—good enough for a 33^rd-place finish.

"It wasn't a bunch of national qualifiers that stood out today," Needs went on to say. "Guys like Sarah Sharp, Aiyana Martino and Matt Rust competed hard today and recorded personal-bests in their events. As coaches, we can walk away knowing a lot of kids got better this weekend."

Carson-Newman will be at it again next weekend for the Tiffin Invitational.

For everything Carson-Newman track and field related, follow us on twitter at @CN_Track and online at cneagles.com.

Carson-Newman Women

3000m Run

30) Sara Honaker 11:33.32

52) Amber Farmer 12:51.23

Mile Run

40) Hannah Green 5:43.26

49) Sky McCarter 6:00.07

800m Run

29) Sarah Sharp 2:25.78

48) Kathleen O'Neill 2:29.46