SALEM, Va.- Eagles hit the road again to compete in the two-day Finn-Pincus Invitational.
Carson-Newman track and field head to Salem, Va. this weekend to compete at Roanoke College in the Kerr-Cregger Fieldhouse beginning Friday, Jan. 20 at 4:00 p.m. This will be the sixth annual Finn-Pincus Invitational, four of which the Eagles have been in attendance.
"Roanoke is a great place for us to go. They do a great job of letting us bring everybody we want to bring. In track, there is no starter or nonstarter because everybody gets a chance to compete. We're going to make sure this weekend at Finn Pincus that everybody gets that chance to compete. Our expectation going into this is that for some, who maybe didn't get that chance last week, this is their chance to shine," head track and field coach David Needs said.
The Eagles are coming off a successful weekend at the VMI Invitational. Kadidja Sangare, Sade De Sousa, and Makanakaishe Charamba left a mark and each garnered a SAC Varsity Gems Athlete of the Week award.
Sangare is a freshman for the Eagles from South Holland, Netherlands. The newcomer left the VMI Invitational with an NCAA provisional mark and a spot on the podium. De Sousa, a junior sprinter from Windholeck, Khonas, Namibia, ended the weekend with two NCAA provisional marks and two top-three finishes.
"With Sade and Kadidja, because they are both new to the program, one of the things we get out of that is that they are cool under pressure. You worry with new people coming in sometimes that they won't transition well or understand the moment, but they just go out there, do their best, and compete at the highest level," Needs said.
On the men's side, Makanakaishe Charamba, a sophomore sprinter from Harare, Zimbabwe, left the VMI Invitational with two NCAA provisional marks and two first-place finishes. Charamba beat his own season best in the 60-meter sprint twice in one night.
"We challenged Makanakaishe that this past weekend wasn't just about the 60-meter run, but also to put a focus on the 200-meter. We have high expectations because he's earned it. The expectation for somebody like that is to come in and perform well, and he took that challenge and ran with it," Needs said.
Looking forward, the Eagles prepare for the two-day Finn Pincus Invitational in Salem, Va. The meet begins Friday, Jan. 20 at 4:00 p.m. in the Kerr-Cregger Fieldhouse.
"We go a week on and a week off when we can. For a track athlete, that gives you a bigger gap to train. We are going three weeks in a row, but for most of our athletes, they will go one week and take the next off to train and focus on the small things. Some of our throwers and female distance runners who didn't compete last week are going to go and compete hard this week. This meet is a chance for us to hone our craft. This is a chance to get better," Needs said.
The Eagles are set to race beginning on Friday, Jan. 20 at 4:00 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 21 at 10:00 a.m. at the Finn Pincus Invitational in Salem, Va.
