JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman track and field is headed to the two-day 2024 South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Hickory, N.C. tomorrow, May 1.
"Even practice for us is split, so for us to be together at one place and at one time, and to do this together, is just awesome," head track and field coach David Needs said. "To get together at the conference meet and go up against all the other conference schools is incredible".
The Eagles will compete in the 2024 SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships this Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2. The meet will take place at the Irwin Track at Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C. The first day of competition will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the men's hammer throw event. Running events will begin at 2:30 p.m. with the men's 1,500-meter run prelims. Live results for the meet can be found HERE.
"Everything has been building toward this moment," Needs said. "We are excited for it. We've got a lot of good kids in there, and it's always a learning experience. From last week, we can see that we are moving in the right direction".
C-N track and field is coming off a successful split weekend at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tenn. and App State Open in Boone, N.C. During the second day of the App State Open, Verrol Sam and Oluwafemi Richards tied and won gold in the men's high jump with 2.10-meter marks. Richards grabbed a new personal best mark in the event, and Sam earned SAC WePlayed Sports Men's Field Athlete of the Week for his performance. At the Music City Challenge, Kadidja Sangare placed second in the women's long jump and set a new school record in the event. Sangare finished the event with a 6.12-meter leap, a new personal best mark. She earned SAC WePlayed Sports Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors for her performance. Sade De Sousa ran in the first round of the 100-meter dash for the women. She finished first with a 11.38-second national qualifying time to set a new program record in the event. C-N men's 4x100-meter relay team won gold in 41.09. Shemar Patten, Amine Kasmi, Lucas Besong, and Dawson Jones each contributed to the first-place finish.
"We are so grateful to have athletes and coaches who understand the moment. Last week was our last chance to qualify before the conference meet," Needs said. "For Verrol, Kadidja, Sade, Amine, our relay teams, and really every other person who competed, they understood the moment. You are there with SEC schools and Division I schools. Being able to understand the importance of that moment and make the most of that moment is a credit to their coaches and to them".
The Eagles finished third and fifth during the 2024 SAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in late February. Carson-Newman women's track and field left the conference championships in third place with 68 total points. Wingate won with 207 points, and Lenoir-Rhyne finished second wtih 131 points. The men's team placed fifth overall with 49.5 points. Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne, Tusculum, and Anderson finished first through fourth respectively. Tytiana Wilson grabbed gold in the women's 400-meter finals in 57.77. Another first-place finish came from Kasmi. Kasmi won gold in the men's 200-meter dash finals in 21.70 seconds. The Eagles crowded the top-5 during the women's long jump. Sangare won gold with a 5.81-meter leap. Savannah Goodwin grabbed silver (5.72 m), Sydney McCarty stood third on the podium (5.63 m), and Brooke Taylor rounded out the top-5 (5.52 m) in the event.
"This is the first time since indoor championships that the meet is about your place," Needs said. "But, in the back of your mind, you are thinking that we are two weeks away from final qualifications for nationals, so you'd like to get it done while you are here too. We always perform better in May because we work our training to prepare for May. We are not peaking at the conference meet. We are peaking at the national championships, but we are still looking to get max level performances at the conference meet".
The 2024 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships are set to begin Thursday, May 23 in Emporia, Kan. The upcoming conference meet will be one of the Eagles' last chances to qualify for the national meet.
"There is a lot of chaos this week, but inside that chaos is a core of Carson-Newman Eagles who are getting ready for a big meet this weekend," Needs said.
Carson-Newman track and field is headed to the 2024 SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Hickory, N.C. Live streaming of the meet can be found HERE. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
