Exciting year ahead for Track & Field at C-N

Posted: Dec 18, 2017

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman Track & Field and head coach David Needs have released the full 2017-18 Indoor and Outdoor Schedule which features returns to ETSU and a trip to Philadelphia, Pa.

The 2017-18 Indoor season marks the inaugural season for the South Atlantic Conference.

"One of the things we felt like as a league that we needed was some indoor competition," Head Coach David Needs explained. "We've had so many athletes go to nationals and be successful there but we feel like we could have gotten more if we would have had indoor conference competition because it's when people throw out their best marks. We're excited and you do want to continue to climb that ladder to get better."

One invitational has already passed for the Eagles when they traveled to Salem, Va. to compete in the Bast-Cregger Invitational.

Senior Tanner Stepp, who was the National runner-up in the high jump back in May in the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, recorded a first place-finish with a mark of 2.08 meters in the high jump. He has made it to the Outdoor Championships in the high jump every year at Carson-Newman.

His mark in the first day of competition already provisionally qualified him for the Indoor National Championships.

Other records for C-N rained down in day two with Kristofer Potts-Howard setting a new school record in the men's long jump at a distance of 7.26 meters.

Freshman Tia Davis broke two school records in her first day of competition setting the 60-meter dash at a time of 7.98 seconds. To follow it up, she broke the record in the 200-meter dash checking in with a time of 26.53 seconds.

On Dec. 5, she collected the first Women's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week honor for the SAC.

"We really recruited well this year," Needs added. "We recruited some people that we thought could come in and help us. We have a lot of young females who are going to be a big part of this along with Davis. Amy Zadroga who is outstanding, Samantha Gudger returns and she's been great in terms of points for us."

On the men's side of things, Stepp, Potts-Howard, and Kieran Showler-Davis headline an impressive team overall.

"We also have some other guys who can really step in in Devon Moore, Jahvad McDermott, and James Wilson," Needs mentioned. "There's probably 50 other names I could mention of people that had a good fall and worked hard that we can count on. Getting through the season being healthy is key for us and for the sport."

The Eagles will head back to Roanoke College for their next competition at the end of January before splitting up into two separate locations the following weekend to prep for the SAC Indoor Championships on Feb. 19.

The NCAA Indoor Nationals is slated for the second week of March.

The outdoor season is slated to begin in late April at the SAC Conference Meet in Hickory, N.C.

"The hard thing with track season is that there is no set schedule whereas you have to look each week at its own," Needs said. "The ability to go to Tennessee, Penn Relays, Lenoir-Rhyne, are great for our athletes. The hardest thing is balancing the throwers, jumpers, sprinters because you have to tailor certain events to their training schedule and look at what they can do individually. That always gives us a challenge but it should be a great year for us across the board."

Take a look at the full Indoor and Outdoor Schedule below.

Jan. 26, 2018 Finn Pincus Salem, Va.

Jan. 27, 2018 Finn Pincus Salem, Va.

Feb. 02, 2017 Camel City Elite Winston Salem, N.C.

David Walker Johnson City, Tenn.

Feb. 03, 2017 Camel City Elite Winston Salem, N.C.

David Walker Johnson City, Tenn.

Feb. 19, 2017 SAC Indoor Championships Winston Salem, N.C.

Feb. 25, 2017 George Mason - Last Chance Fairfax, Va.

Mar. 09, 2017 NCAA Indoor Nationals Pittsburg, Kan.

Mar. 10, 2017 NCAA Indoor Nationals Pittsburg, Kan.

Apr. 21, 2018 SAC Conference Meet Hickory, N.C.