BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. - After a strong showing at the SAC Outdoor Championships, the Carson-Newman Track & Field team heads to Montreat College for the first of two last chance meets.
The Montreat Final will be a one day meet, beginning with the javelin at 10:30 AM on Friday, May. 7. The track events will begin at 3:30 PM with the 4x100 meter relays. A live results link can be found at cneagles.com.
The Eagles last competed at the 2021 SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Hickory, N.C. The men's team finished the event third overall while the women finished ninth.
"To qualify for nationals puts you in rare air," says Director of Track & Field David Needs. "We also had a lot of athletes gain a personal best and to do that at conference is a great place to do it."
Sterling Melancon exceled at the event, hitting provisional times in the 100 meter run with a fourth place finish with a time of 10.50 seconds and in the 200 meter run with a third place finish with a time of 21.28 seconds. For his accomplishments, Melancon was named SAC Outdoor Men's Freshman of the Year, the second straight year an Eagle has earned a Freshman of the Year nod from the conference.
Trayzel Jureidini-Wyche wrapped up his weekend at the SAC Outdoor Championships, winning gold in the men's discus with a school record national qualifying toss of 51.14 meters. Jureidini-Wyche also placed third in the javelin with a personal best throw of 51.69 meters.
"Tray and Sterling have gone out and gotten better in every event this year," says Needs. "Both have some work to do to officially qualify, but I couldn't be prouder of them and how they competed."
The men's high jump squad took home first, second and third at the SAC Outdoor Championships. Isaiah Kyle took home gold with a jump of 2.11 meters, while Shane Connell took silver with his national qualifying jump of 2.05 meters. Danilo Cardoso finished third with a clearance of 1.95 meters.
Joseph Oreva set an NCAA provisional mark in the long jump at the conference meet, taking home the gold medal with a jump of 7.40 meters. Courtavious Garrett, who took home silver in the event with his jump of 7.16 meters, sits just 0.10 meters away from the provisional mark.
On the women's side, Nathalie Schumacher still sits inside the top-20 in the nation with her qualifying mark of 1.70 meters in the high jump. Schumacher finished fourth at the SAC Outdoor Championships and hasn't finished lower than sixth in any event during the outdoor and indoor season.
Timaya Ray sits on the fringe of a provisional mark in the 100 and 200 meter runs. Ray set a new personal best at the SAC Outdoor Championships in the 100 meter run with a time of 12.32 seconds.
Abby Owens is also on the edge of and NCAA provisional mark in the pole vault. Owens won took home the conference championship in the event with a clearance of 3.37 meters. Owens has finished either second or first in every outdoor event she has competed in this season except for one, the Tennessee Challenge, where she failed to record a jump.
"We have a lot of young athletes who have been consistently great this year," says Needs. "All of those young guys have upperclassmen who they can look up to. When you have a group like that it raises the competition at practice and the younger athletes get more confidence and start to believe."
The last time the Eagles competed at Montreat, the men's team took home first at the Montreat Invitational on Mar. 27, earning 109 total points. On the women's side, Schumacher set her qualifying mark in the high jump, at the time the number one mark in all of Division II.
The women's 4x100 relay team of Amanda Lowe, Tia Davis, Morgan Bailey and Timaya Ray also set a new school record in Black Mountain, with a time of 47.68 seconds, good enough for a third place finish.
"Going to a place that you're familiar with and compete is nice," says Needs. "Montreat does a great job in putting on an event and our athletes like to compete there. It's a great place and there will be good competition and a chance to obtain some more personal bests."
Following this weekend, the Eagles will have one final push for nationals when they return to Cleveland, Tenn. for the Lee Last Chance Meet on May. 14-15.
