JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman women's track and field athletes Kadidja Sangare and Sade De Sousa are headed to the 2024 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships beginning this Friday, Mar. 8 in Pittsburg, Kan.
"These ladies have a very similar work ethic," head track and field coach David Needs said. "They've been here before, and they've done this. Because of that, they don't have to overthink it or overdo it. They just have to be themselves and do what they do to be successful".
The 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships are set to begin tomorrow, Mar. 8 at the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg, Kan. Sangare and De Sousa will represent Carson-Newman track and field and compete for All-American status at the meet. Live meet results can be found HERE.
"I've got two veteran coaches that have done this before, and I've got two veteran athletes who have done this before. This will be our 18th straight national championship," Needs said. "However, things like this don't come around every day. We've got to make the most of this experience. We're going to spend some time together and really experience what we need to experience".
Sangare will compete in the women's long jump tomorrow afternoon, Mar. 8 at 2:00 p.m. The full meet program can be found HERE.
"I was very fortunate that my first meet already qualified me for nationals," women's track and field athlete Sangare said. "Since then, it's been pretty much the same. I've had no big jumps yet. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited for nationals because there's a chance that 6.00-meter jump might come out of it".
There will be two flights during the women's long jump event, and Sangare will compete in the first. She will enter with a 5.96-meter seed mark.
"My mindset going in is to just have fun," Sangare said. "My coaches are all about trusting the process and trusting yourself. You just have to be confident that the big jump will come because you've worked so hard for it".
De Sousa will race in the women's 60-meter dash prelims tomorrow, Mar. 8 at 3:15 p.m.
"I'm grateful that I persevered this season," women's track and field athlete De Sousa said. "My coach always tells me to control the controllables. The goal is to come back as an All-American, but at the end of the day it's God's plan, and I'm trusting it".
19 women will compete in the 60 dash preliminary event, and De Sousa will enter with a 7.46-second entry time. She will compete in the second of three heats. The finals for the event are set to begin, Saturday, Mar. 9 at 5:30 p.m.
"We just have to stay focused and calm," De Sousa said. "Know the work that you put in. At the end of the day, your journey is not anybody else's journey. If you put in the work, you will see the results".
The national meet will conclude C-N track and field's indoor season. The outdoor season is set to start later this month.
"Once we come back, there's no rest for the weary," Needs said. "We've been going at this since December, and we are going to go at it until June. If along the way, we get a couple more of our kids to nationals, that's all the better".
Carson-Newman track and field athletes Sangare and De Sousa will compete tomorrow, Mar. 8 at the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
