ANDERSON, S.C.- Carson-Newman track and field ended the first day of the SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a pair of first-place finishes.
Kadidja Sangare won gold in the women's long jump event this afternoon with a 6.10-meter leap. Sydney McCarty placed third in the event with a 5.85-meter jump, and Brooke Taylor finished 12th with a 5.36-meter performance.
"To be part of one of the best conferences in the country and have one of the best jump conferences is something to be proud of. We had such strong performances from both our jumpers and sprinters today, and to know that our athletes are part of the reason our conference is as strong as it is really makes me proud," head track and field coach David Needs said.
In the men's long jump, Courtavious Garrett placed fifth with a 7.33-meter mark. Camden Fritz finished ninth with a 7.03-meter leap. Jackson Bostick placed fifth in the men's decathlon long jump with a 6.12-meter performance. Bostick also competed in the decathlon shot put and placed ninth with an 8.59-meter mark, and he grabbed sixth in the men's decathlon high jump with a 1.74-meter clearance.
"I love that our women's pole vaulters, Abby and Marlee, finished their careers as Eagles with a championship and by adding points to our team score. It really is a testament to their character and determination," Needs said.
Abby Owens placed first in the women's pole vault with a 3.78-meter mark. Marlee Baker finished seventh in the event with a 2.70-meter mark. On the men's side of the event, Matthew Bretscher finished eighth with a 4.10-meter performance.
In the men's 100-meter dash prelims Makanakaishe Charamba finished first with a 10.20-second national qualifying time. Devon Moore also secured a national cut in the event with his second-place finish in 10.21. Dawson Jones finished 13th in 10.59 seconds. Bostick competed in the men's decathlon 100-meter dash and finished fourth in 11.59 seconds.
On the women's side of the 100-meter prelims, Sade De Sousa finished second in 11.51 seconds. De Sousa secured a national qualifying time with her performance. Teammate Janaya Davis-Gainer also ran a national qualifying time with her 11.81-second fourth place finish.
Charamba raced again in the 200-meter dash prelims where he finished first in 20.67 seconds and secured a national qualifying cut. Siphosethu Boya finished sixth in the prelims with a 21.18-second performance. In the women's 200-meter prelims, De Sousa finished seventh in 24.95 seconds, and Davis-Gainer finished 11th in 25.15.
Tytiana Wilson finished second in the women's 400-meter dash preliminary event in 56.40 seconds. Wilson grabbed another qualifying cut for the Eagles with her performance. Abbie Zander finished 10th in 59.37, and Lauren Tabor grabbed 12th in 1:00.34.
During the men's 400-meter dash prelims, Ashwin Jood placed first and secured a national qualifying cut with his 47.78-second performance. Boya finished second in the prelims with a 47.82-second national qualifying time.
Sangare competed in the women's 100-meter hurdles prelims and finished second in 14.30 seconds. Sangare grabbed a national qualifying cut in the event. In the men's 110-meter hurdles prelims, Matthew Blackmon finished second in 14.40-second qualifying time.
In the women's 800-meter dah prelims, Imke Van Gog placed 13th in 2:26.00, and Grace Lathrop placed 16th in the women's 1500-meter run prelims in 5:02.83. Katie Smock placed 11th in the women's 10,000-meter race in 39:34.72. In the men's 1500-meter prelims, Colton Lee finished 11th in 4:02.55.
Raymond Brugmans placed ninth in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase event in 10:12.17.
In the men's javelin throw, Trent Lovelace placed 12th with a 40.38-meter mark, and Christian Henry finished 14th with a 38.22-meter performance. Autumn Brazzel placed 15th on the women's side of the event with an 11.93-meter mark. Ian Salyer placed 14th in the men's hammer throw with a 41.87-meter mark in the event.
"It was a great start today, and we have a lot to build on for tomorrow," Needs said.
Finals for the running events will take place tomorrow, May 4, during the second day of the SAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Eagles will also compete in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay events. Field events are set to begin at 11:00 a.m., and running events will begin at 2:00 p.m.
"We are set up for a strong day tomorrow. It's going to be an exciting day, and we are looking forward to it," Needs said.
Carson-Newman track and field will continue to chase a conference title tomorrow in Anderson, S.C. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
