JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Eight Carson-Newman track and field athletes are headed to compete at the 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships beginning Thursday, May 25.
The 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin tomorrow, May 25 at 10:30 a.m. Carson-Newman track and field is sending eight athletes to compete in the national meet based on selections that were released Tuesday, May 16. The championships will extend over three days and take place at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colo.
The 2023 NCAA Championships mark the 17th straight time that Carson-Newman track and field has attended a national championship meet. The Eagles have attended every national meet, both indoor and outdoor, since 2015.
"To me, nationals is such a life-changing experience for an athlete, so to have this many of us go is really exciting to me as a coach. We have some that have been before, like Devon, and others like Sydney, Ashwin, and Dawson who will be going for the first time. It's nice to see that experience from their eyes," head track and field coach David Needs said.
To begin the week, Sydney McCarty and Kadidja Sangare will compete in the women's long jump on Thursday, May 25 at 2:30 p.m. Sade De Sousa will race in the women's 100-meter dash prelims at 6:10 p.m. the same day.
On the men's side of the competition, Dawson Jones, Devon Moore, Siphosethu Boya, and Makanakaishe Charamba will race in the 4x100-meter dash prelims on Thursday, May 25 at 5:00 p.m. Boya will race again during the first day of nationals with teammate Ashwin Jood in the men's 400-meter dash prelims. The event will begin at 5:55 p.m.
"Here's another way that we are blessed heading into this meet. We've got two in the 100, 200, and 400. We've also got two in the women's long jump. When you go through that, and you get to warm up with a teammate, it gives a sense of familiarity. The idea is that you are not as scared because you have somebody else that's with you and sharing that experience. I think that will be something that can help our athletes along this journey," Needs said.
Charamba and Moore will both compete in the men's 100 and 200 preliminary events. The men's 100-meter dash prelims will begin at 6:25 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, and the 200-meter dash prelims will take place on Friday, May 26 at 5:45 p.m.
"With track, we have kind of become accustomed to going until the first of June, so our mentality surrounding that is good. We aren't trying to invent something new with this group. There's a program, and it's tailored to the idea of our last performances being our best performances. We want to maximize our performance. Success for us is to run a personal best or set a new personal record. If we can accomplish that, we feel that we have a strong chance of scoring and standing on the podium in those events. We'd define that as success," Needs said.
Carson-Newman track and field is headed to the 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Thursday, May 25 to Saturday, May 27 in Pueblo, Colo. The full meet schedule can be found HERE. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
