WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – The South Atlantic Conference prepares for the Indoor Track & Field Championships in its inaugural season on Monday and Carson-Newman is poised to make some noise.
The Eagles have competed in four different meets since December and will be fully prepared for its competition which will feature some familiar faces from the league.
"We are always trying to go against great competition," Coach David Needs stated. "We have some teams in this league who are some of the best in the country in different events so it's just that 'wow' factor of already being there. We try and do that in preparation for the meet with seeing some of the best professionals and Olympians in the world."
Senior Tanner Stepp will be one to watch during the full day of events as he has yet to finish anywhere other than first in the high jump in three events on the year.
Other notables include Tia Davis who has broken multiple school records at two different venues as a true freshman. Distance runner Luke Greer notched a new school record earlier this month and Jahvad McDermott has also been a great addition to the team in the triple jump and high jump.
Senior Tori Gaul has a top finish under her belt in the pole vault and Devon Moore has been outstanding as a freshman sprinter.
While the team is competing for a conference title, Coach Needs believes there is still a bigger picture to worry about at the end of the day.
"It's a two-fold purpose, "Needs explained. "It's about place and about getting to the National Championship. It's nice to win conference, but we want to go compete on a National level. If you just win your event but your time isn't improving, you miss out on that opportunity at the end of the year."
The Indoor Championships will take place on just one day in Winston Salem, N.C. at the JDL Fast Track. It marks the first meet of the year for C-N in which the team will have less than the normal two-day swing of events.
"It will definitely be tougher on them," Coach Needs added. "If you withdrawal from an event, you can't compete in anything else the rest of the day so the idea is that you have to perform and that will be critical for these kids. You go and try to compete for a conference title but also have to make sure you're taking care of your body."
Heading into the men's championship, the Wingate Bulldogs are the lone team ranked in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 21.
Regionally, nine men's teams are ranked in the top 20 in the region. Queens leads the way at the No. 1 spot, coming in at No. 4 is Wingate, Carson-Newman checked in at the No. 5 spot and Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked No. 6. Coker is ranked No. 11, Anderson is No. 13, Tusculum comes in at No. 15, Catawba is ranked No. 16 and Lincoln Memorial rounds out the SAC teams at the No. 18 spot.
On the women side, there are nine regionally ranked teams, as well. Queens is the top SAC school in the No. 2 spot, with Wingate at No. 3 and Lenoir-Rhyne at No. 5. Anderson, Coker and Carson-Newman are ranked eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively. Rounding out the regionally ranked SAC teams are Lincoln Memorial at No. 16, Catawba at No. 17 and Tusculum at No. 18.
The first events of the day are set to begin at 10:00 a.m. All live results from the 2018 SAC Indoor Track & Field Championship can be found here.
-CN-
