JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman track and field's first day of week six competition was saturated with individual improvement.
Carson-Newman track and field split up for the weekend. While the majority of the team attended the Lenoir-Rhyne Outdoor Open, a select few attended the Georgia Tech Invitational.
"We've had a lot of split weekends this outdoor season, and this week there wasn't necessarily much of a method to who was attending which meet. A lot of it was based on where each athlete could get better heat and lane assignments. Regardless of who went where, we came into the weekend confident that our team would show up ready to compete," head track and field coach David Needs said.
At the Georgia Tech Invitational, Makanakaishe Charamba placed second in the men's 100-meter dash in 10.29. He was bested only by Nicholas Mabilo from Kennesaw State, and Charamba beat out a formidable third-place finisher, Matthew Boling from Georgia. Devon Moore finished fourth in the event in 10.36, and Siphosethu Boya placed ninth in 10.45. Sade De Sousa rounded out the top five in the women's 100-meter dash with an 11.55-second performance.
"To have Maka beat one of the best in the world in Matthew Boling is a huge statement for our program. I'm very proud of that group who traveled to Georgia Tech today," Needs said.
Matthew Blackmon placed sixth in the men's 110-meter hurdles in 14.50 seconds.
"It was a great day all around. Personal bests were the order of the day. Several athletes are positioning themselves for a good seed at the conference meet," Needs said.
During the LR Outdoor Open, Abbie Zander won gold in the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 58.74. Zander secured a new personal best in the event. Lauren Tabor also competed in the event and placed sixth in 1:01.47. Danielle D'Alesio finished 11th for Eagles in 1:05.13, a new personal best. In the men's 400, KJ Laribo placed sixth in 49.34. Taylor Dupler finsihed 11th for the men in 50.56. Dupler locked down his best-time-ever in the event.
The women placed third in the 4x400-meter relay event with a 4:07.12-second finish. Zander and Tabor competed with teammates Tytiana Wilson and Morgan Bailey who each contributed a leg. On the men's side of the event, Dupler and Laribo raced with Raymond Brugmans and Ethan Blaylock. The team finished fifth in 3:30.91.
Ashley Tuell finished 14th in the women's 800-meter run with a time of 2:40.36. Tuell recorded her best-ever outdoor time in the event. Freshmen Maggie Hope and Autumn Brazzel finished 17th and 18th repectively. Brazzel set a new outdoor record for herself with her 2:49.09-second race. Christian Henry finished the men's 800-meter run in 12th place with a time of 2:00.63, his best outdoor time in the event.
Grace Lathrop placed fourth in the women's 1500-meter run with a 5:07.19-second performance. Tuell competed in the event and finished ninth in 5:28.76, matching her personal best in the event. Colten Lee snagged silver in the men's 1500-meter run with a 4:03.73 finals time. Hunter Miller placed sixth with a personal best time of 4:15.15, and Brugmans placed eighth in 4:18.98.
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Kadidja Sangare finished fourth in 14.17 seconds, a new personal record. Sangare also won gold in the women's long jump with a 6.10-meter leap, a new personal best. Sydney McCarty also set a new personal record and placed third with a 6.05-meter performance. Susan Nelson placed eighth with a 5.27-meter mark.
Camden Fritz placed fourth in the men's long jump with a 7.00-meter leap for a new personal best in the event. KJ Kemp placed 13th with a 6.02-meter mark.
During field events, Abby Owens won gold in the women's pole vault with a 3.60-meter mark. Matthew Bretscher finished fourth with a 3.90-meter performance.
In the men's high jump, Shane Connell won gold with a 2.00-meter mark, and teammate Oluwafemi Richards finished second with a 1.95-meter mark in the event. Kemp placed third in a three-way tie with his 1.90-meter performance, and Jackson Bostick grabbed sixth place in another three-way tie with a 1.85-meter mark.
In the men's triple jump, Courtavious Garrett won gold with a 14.51-meter mark. Brooke Taylor placed in the women's triple jump with an 11.09-meter performance. Brooke Visser finished in 13th with a 10.04-meter mark.
"It would be a mistake if I were not to make mention of how well our group at LR did today. We had a lot of great personal achievements, and we placed well throughout the meet," Needs said.
Ian Salyer placed fourth in the men's discus throw with a 41.23-meter mark. Luke Smith competed in the men's shot put and placed second with a 15.14-meter personal best performance. Salyer competed in the event as well and finished 13th with a 12.27-meter mark. On the women's side of the event, Taylor Steele placed sixth with a 10.88-meter mark.
Salyer competed again in the men's hammer throw and finished ninth with a 39.33-meter mark. Matthew Campbell placed 10th with a 35.48-meter mark.
"For me, it is exciting to see how well our men's javelin throwers did today. They may not always get the same level of recognition as others, but they certainly deserve it. We have a strong group who competed incredibly well today. It is a young group too, but we saw a lot of maturity in them today, and I am excited to see them continue to grow," Needs said.
In men's javelin throw event, Trent Lovelace placed seventh with a 41.68-meter mark, Christian Henry finished eighth with a mark of 40.56 meters, and James Duncan rounded out the top 10 with a 37.52-meter performance. Bryson Burkett finished 19th with a 31.99-meter mark. All four Eagles set new personal records in the event.
"Like I said, it was a great day. I am proud of all of our athletes including both those here at Lenoir-Rhyne and those at Georgia Tech," Needs said.
Carson-Newman track and field will be back in action tomorrow to conclude the Georgia Tech Invitational. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
