ROCK HILL, S.C. - Following the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Championships on Monday, Devon Moore and Kirstofer Potts-Howard took home individual awards for Carson-Newman track for their performances.
Moore was named Freshman of the Year by the league after an impressive year overall continued on championship day.
The native of Baxley, Ga. turned in national qualifying times in both the 60 meter dash and the 200 meter dash en route to second-place finishes.
"I was truly blessed," Moore stated. "It was a humbling experience and I was happy I got to share it with my team."
Moore posted a time of 6.78 seconds in the 60 meter finals narrowly being edged by Tusculum's freshman sprinter Widchard Guervil at 6.77 seconds. Moore also topped teammate Kieran Showler-Davis who turned in a first-place time in the preliminary race, shattering his previous best in the event at 6.88 seconds.
"Everything Kieran does, I try to perfect my craft after his," Moore added. "It's a blessing I get to work with someone like him. Coach Needs and Kieran help me a lot."
Following the SAC Championships, his 60 meter time sits tied for 12th in the nation.
��♂️��️��️��️ @TheReall_15 puts on the burners for a second-place finish in the 60 meter dash at 6.78 seconds for @CN_Track pic.twitter.com/4WLmwvVxtR
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) February 21, 2018
In the 200 meter, the C-N wide receiver for the football team, missed a first-place finish by fractions of a second. His second-place time of 21.81 came next to Lenoir-Rhyne's P.J. Lotharp's 21.80 seconds. Moore's time was a new career-low to his previous best of 22.05 seconds. The next closet time in the event came from Guervil who crossed at 22.21 seconds.
"I just wanted to go into the day and simply compete," Moore explained. "I knew I had some tough competition and I just wanted to give it all I had."
With the time, which is converted to 21.43 seconds because JDL is a flat track, Moore has the best time in the nation among freshman sprinters in the 200.
The junior Potts-Howard collected the Field Athlete of the Year by the conference after notching top-four placements in three different events throughout the day.
"I felt like there were a whole lot of other athletes in the SAC who could have been more deserving because there are so many great ones in this conference," Potts-Howard said. "It's an honor to have it in that perspective."
Potts-Howard started the day with a third-place finish in the long jump clearing a distance of 6.94 meters.
The Tullahoma, Tenn. native also competed in the triple jump for C-N turning in a second-place spot with a jump of 13.92 meters.
The versatile jumper never competed in the high jump in his collegiate career before Monday's meet, but lived up to the challenge when he was called upon.
"It comes down to mental toughness at the end of the day," Potts-Howard added. "Your body will get worn down and tired but it's about who can get the job done."
Potts-Howard cleared 1.80 meters on his first attempt, which garnered a fourth-place finish. Queens Vincent Schneider came in third-place at 1.85 meters, a jump in which Potts-Howard nearly completed. Senior Tanner Stepp collected the top spot clearing 2.10 meters.
.@CN_Track's Kristofer Potts-Howard notches fourth-place in the high jump at the SAC Championships, an event in which he had never competed in prior. pic.twitter.com/xE4YWhJbmd
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) February 21, 2018
"I didn't know I was a good high jumper in a sense," Potts-Howard mentioned. "At the end of the day it's cool but I'm not a high jumper. Stepp would hype me up every time I cleared a bar. Him being there and being the superior jumper that he is, knowing that I have his approval is nice."
-CN-
