LEXINGTON, Va.- Eagles continue to find success in day two of the VMI Invitational.
Carson-Newman track and field finished the second of two days at Virginia Military Institute with three first-place finishes, five season bests, and seven personal record performances.
"We had a pretty good day. We had several people qualify for nationals. Aside from that, though, we saw a lot of athletes make significant improvements throughout the meet. A lot of different people ran close to the best they have in their lifetime. That is what you look for as a coach," Carson-Newman head track and field coach David Needs said.
Makanakaishe Charamba finished first and secured a personal best in the men's 60-meter run with a time of 6.78 seconds. Charamba continued to find the podium as he placed first in the men's 200-meter run in 21.38.
Sade De Sousa placed second in the women's 200-meter race with a time of 25.05. De Sousa also grabbed gold in the women's 60-meter race with a new personal record of 7.41 seconds in the event. Along with her first-place finish, De Sousa also broke the Namibian senior women's 60-meter record in her home country for the second time in two months after breaking it during the Bast-Cregger Invitational in early December.
Kadidja Sangare placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal best of 8.81 seconds. Sangare found the podium in the women's long jump to best another personal record and garner a third-place finish with a clearance of 6.00 meters.
Sydney McCarty (5.61 meters) and Susan Nelson (5.10 meters) also secured season best performances in the women's long jump. On the men's side, Camden Fritz had a season best clearance of 6.74 meters in the event.
Matthew Blackmon beat his best time in the event securing second in the men's 60-meter hurdles race (8.10). In the men's one mile race, Brent Borden placed fourth 4:31.17. Christian Henry secured a personal record in the event with a time of 4:32.00. Colten Lee placed top-five in the men's 3,000-meter race with a time of 8:55.08, and Hunter Miller finished in 9:38.86 for a new personal best. Shane Connell competed in the men's high jump for his season best clearance of 2.02 meters along with a first place ranking in the event.
"The effort that the team put in this weekend is what makes me proud to coach. For us to go out there against mainly Division I schools and to compete well and be the best we can is a testament to who we want to be this season. People got to see a little bit of what Carson-Newman is about at this meet," Needs said.
Tytiana Wilson stood on the podium for her second-place finish in the women's 400-meter race. She finished in 56.79 seconds. Brooke Visser competed in the women's triple jump to secure her season best of 9.88 meters.
"I am proud of the growth and maturity we had as a team over the weekend. I also want to say how thankful I am for the staff we work with. Travelling with track is not like travelling with any other sport. There are multiple cars with people leaving at all different times. The staff this weekend handled what could have been distractions in a way that helped our team succeed, and I am proud to be a part of that and to work with not only great athletes, but also great people all around," Needs said.
Carson-Newman track and field will travel to the Finn Pincus Invitational in Salem, Va. next weekend to compete again. The two-day event will begin Friday, Jan. 20 in the Corps Physical Training Facility.
