VIDEO: Matthew Blackmon Interview
VIDEO: Christian Shouse Interview
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Matthew Blackmon and Christian Shouse claimed the first two event wins of the season for Carson-Newman on day two of the ETSU Invitational.
For the second straight day, Blackmon broke the school record in the 60 meter hurdles, winning his first career event as an Eagle with a time of 8.41 seconds. That time beats his previous record set the day before by 0.23 seconds. The freshman defeated five runners from Division-I Wofford and UNC-Asheville en route to the event championship. The mark also puts Blackmon just 0.22 seconds away from an NCAA provisional mark.
"Yesterday I was very nervous for my first college track meet," says Blackmon. "I didn't get off the blocks how I wanted to but today I was ready and me and coach (Kieran Showler-Davis) were able to get focussed and to be honest I surprised myself. I was excited about yesterday and knew I could break the record again today."
No, you haven't traveled back in time.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 16, 2022
In two races, @Matthew_0708 has reset the @CN_Track record book twice and earns his first career event win at the ETSU Invitational. pic.twitter.com/PPbiUsXTtl
After missing the entire indoor track & field season in 2021, Shouse returned with authority, winning the long jump championship with a distance of 7.00 meters. Shouse won the event by 0.24 meters. It is the sophomore's first win in the event since the 2020 SAC Indoor Championships and is the second straight season that an Eagle has won the men's long jump at a college indoor track meet at ETSU. Joseph Oreva won the event title at the 2021 Buccaneer Invitational.
"It felt good to be back in this environment," says Shouse. "There's a lot of rust to shake off and a lot to be fixed but I can't complain too much about today. Coach Potts-Howard has carried a lot over that Coach Tyler (Stepp) taught us and I couldn't ask for a better coach. It's nice to compete again and I love this sport and I'm just happy to compete again."
First indoor meet in two years? No problem for Christian Shouse, the 2022 ETSU Invitational long jump champion @CN_Track pic.twitter.com/7ATvJR6q6R
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 16, 2022
The Carson-Newman sprinters continued to show out early in the 2022 indoor season. Of the seven finalists in the men's 60 meter run, four of the runners represented Carson-Newman. Makanakaishe Charamba led the Eagles with a new personal best time of 6.81 seconds and a second-place overall finish. That time moves Charamba to tenth in all of Division-II in the 60 meter run.
Devon Moore finished behind Charamba in third with a time of 6.84 seconds. The mark puts Moore tied for 15th in all of Division-II in the event and is the second-straight season that Moore has set a provisional mark at an indoor event at ETSU.
Moore's teammate Sterling Melancon finished fourth with a time of 6.85 seconds, a provisional mark and moving the sophomore into a tie for the 21st fastest time in the nation. It also is the 29th race in Melancon's last 32 races where he has finished inside the top-10.
Siphosethu Boya wrapped up the Eagles in the 60 meter run, finishing sixth with a time of 6.92, a new personal-best at Carson-Newman.
Charamba also recorded a provisional time in the 200 meter run, finishing third with a time of 21.51 seconds. That time is eighth fastest in all of Division-II.
On the women's side, freshman Sydney McCarty made a strong debut in the long jump. The freshman out of Sevierville finished sixth in the event with a distance of 5.32 meters, finishing above 11 Division-I athletes from ETSU, Wofford and UNC-Asheville.
The women's 4x400 meter relay team of Danielle D'Alesio, Morgan Bailey, Amanda Clabo and Lauren Tabor finished the day for the Eagles with a third place finish in the event with a time of 4:21.05. The squad defeated SAC foe Tusculum and Division-I Appalachian State in their heat.
�� Another school record for @Matthew_0708
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 16, 2022
�� An event win for Christian Shouse
�� The 10th fastest time in the nation for Maka
�� Nice debut for @SydneyMcCarty23
�� Strong day for the Women's 4x400
Good way to end the weekend for @CN_Track pic.twitter.com/6jxpYjlyOX
The Eagles continued their strong weekend overall with 19 top-10 finishes and four personal bests on Saturday.
Olivia Fanning set the tone early for the Eagles with a new personal best in the 3000 meter run, beating her old time by almost two minutes with a time of 12:46.58.
Courtavious Garrett and Camden Fritz finished in the top-10 in the long jump. Garrett finished fourth with a jump of 6.74 meters while Fritz finished sixth with a distance of 6.48 meters.
Abby Owens finished fourth in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.00 meters. It is the fifth straight indoor meet that Owens has recorded a top-10 finish in the event.
In the men's high jump, Shane Connell finished second with a clearance of 1.98 meters. Teammate Sam Cleek finished fourth with a clearance of 1.95 meters. The mark is Cleek's fourth straight top-10 finish in the high jump while Connell has never finished lower than fourth in the event in his Carson-Newman career.
A day after setting a personal best in the weight throw, Luke Smith made the finals of the shot put, finishing fourth with a toss of 13.63 meters. It is the second straight year that Smith has recorded a top-five finish in the event at ETSU after finishing 44th during the 2020 season at the same meet. His teammate Ian Salyer recorded a mark of 10.84 meters in his first time competing in the event at Carson-Newman
Susan Nelson finished tenth in the women's long jump with a jump of 5.00 meters. It is her highest finish in the event since winning the event championship at the 2021 LR Bears Open.
Karli Yarid started her Carson-Newman track & field career in the 800 meter run with a time of 3:04.42.
In the women's 60 meter run, Tia Davis finished seventh with a time of 7.85 seconds. Davis has now finished inside the top-eight in the event in nine straight meets.
Davis also competed in the 200 meter run, finishing fourth with a time of 25.86 seconds, her fifth straight top-10 finish in the event. One day after finishing third in the 400 meter run, Tytiana Wilson recorded a seventh place finish in the 200 meter run with a time of 26.17 seconds.
In her first career 200 meter run, Clabo finished with a time of 27.39 seconds, while Leah Sohm finished with a time of 27.61 seconds in her first appearance in the event. Kennadi Yoder and Abbigale Zander also made their debuts in the Orange & Blue debut in the 200 meter run. Yoder recorded a time of 27.75 seconds while Zander finished with a time of 28.03 seconds. D'Alesio set a new personal best in the 200 meter run with a time of 28.54 seconds.
In the men's 200 meter run, Melancon finished fourth in the 200 meter with a time of 22.08 seconds. It is his fifth straight top-10 finish in the event in his career.
Austin Greer wrapped up a solid weekend with another personal best, recording a time of 22.93 seconds in the 200 meter run. Tshenolo Lemao competed in his first 200 meter run at Carson-Newman, recording a time of 23.16 seconds while Jackson Bostick recorded a time of 23.28 seconds in his first time competing in the event.
Delan Grant, Brett Lord and Taylor Dupler made their debuts in the 200 meter runs this weekend. Grant recorded a time of 24.19 seconds, Lord finished with a mark of 24.27 seconds, and Dupler rounded out the competition for the Eagles in the event with a time of 24.55 seconds.
"Everyone got better this week," says Director of Track & Field and Cross Country David Needs. "Seeing Matthew continue to set records is an amazing thing to watch so early in his career. Getting guys back that were banged up like Shane and Christian and seeing them do so well on opening weekend is big for us. Not only did this team compete against tough competition, but they pushed themselves and each other to get better, which is what you want every single week from your team."
To stay up to date with the Eagles track & field team, stay locked in at cneagles.com or follow the Eagles on twitter at @cn_eagles.
