PITTSBURG, Kan. – The selection of the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships placed three Carson-Newman athletes across four events.
This year's indoor national championships will take place at the Robert W. Plaster Center on March 9th and 10th in Pittsburg, Kansas.
All three of the C-N athletes garnered All-Region recognition yesterday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Devon Moore is the lone Eagle who will compete in multiple events during next month's indoor national championships.
Moore posted national qualifying times in the SAC Indoor Championships for the 200 meter and 60 meter dashes. 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. He was tied 12th-overall in D2 with the mark, and the second-fastest time as a freshman this year.
In the 200 meter, the freshman 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.
With the time, which is converted to 21.43 seconds because the JDL site in Winston Salem, N.C. is a flat track, Moore has the best time in the nation among freshman sprinters in the 200, ranked 12th overall. Moore was named Freshman Athlete of the Year by the conference for his performance. 20 athletes will compete in the 200 meter dash.
"To have a freshman go in two events says a lot about him," Coach David Needs stated. "What is crazy is we just got him started in January. We expect big things for him and what he's been able to do having some of the top times in the nation is incredible."
Kieran Showler-Davis joins Moore as a national qualifier in the 60 meter dash with a season-high time in the event at 6.79 seconds coming from the SAC Championships. The time put the senior tied for No. 15 in the nation.
Showler-Davis and Moore will compete in a field of 17 athletes in the 60 yard dash.
"Kieran has battled through some injuries this season but it's great he's been able to still make the cut in a very fast field of athletes," Needs added. "It really speaks well of his ability."
Tanner Stepp marks the final athlete to earn a national qualifier in the high jump. Stepp has went to indoor and outdoor nationals every year at Carson-Newman.
The senior out of Jefferson City, Tenn. collected the top-spot in the conference championships eventually clearing a height of 2.10 meters.
His season high came at the Buccaneer Invitational clearing 2.12 meters, which sits him tied for sixth in the nation. Stepp has collected first-place finishes in all four meets in which he has competed in this indoor season. A total of 16 athletes
"Having the consistency of Tanner is tremendous," Needs stated. "For someone to go to nationals every semester here at C-N is in a league of its own.
"The great thing about these three, it's three that won't be just happy to be in Kansas. They will go there and want to compete."
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