WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – Carson-Newman Track & Field will return to the site of competition that hosted the South Atlantic Conference this Sunday.
The JDL Fast Track will play host to the JDL Last Chance Invitational which will give athletes one final opportunity to put forth a qualifying mark for the indoor national championships in Pittsburg, Kan. next month.
The top-16 marks in each event garner a trip to the biggest stage in D2 Track & Field, but roughly the top-20 athletes earn a trip depending on the strength of the event. A committee from each region will make those final decisions early next week.
"One of the real positives was Devon Moore have such a great day on Monday that you are not sitting there having to worry about him getting in," Coach David Needs stated. "Kristofer Potts-Howard did great on Monday in multiple event but you're waiting to get his best in an event, and even trying to have Kieran Showler-Davis get in at the 200. Tori Gaul is right on the edge, so there's a good mindset with these kids wanting to go compete this weekend."
Moore collected the conference Freshman Athlete of the Year after posting two national qualifying times in the 60 meter and 200 meter dash en route to second-place finishes.
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.
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 mark. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Tanner Stepp (High Jump) and Gaul (Pole Vault) were the lone C-N athletes to collect first place finishes in finals throughout the SAC Indoor Championships.
The senior Stepp cleared 2.10 meters and currently sits fifth in the nation in the event. Gaul posted a new season-best mark clearing 3.72 meters.
With the indoor championships being a one-day meet, it gives the athletes less than a week of rest before needing to perform some of their best marks during the campaign.
"It's huge with the quick turnaround," Need explained. "Last year we felt it a little bit in outdoor, but we try to do things with a purpose and a plan. Part of what we are trying to do is prepare us for the end of the outdoor season. It's to keep that foot on the accelerator and be ready to go."
The JDL Fast Track website will have final results for Sunday's events here.
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