JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Three Eagle athletes have qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis.
In his first year as head coach, Kieran Showler-Davis, a sprinter as an athlete at C-N, sends his top two sprinters to Indianapolis in the 60m dash.
Andre Morrison (St. Catherine, Jamaica) made waves earlier this season breaking the school record set by 13-time All-American Carson-Newman athlete Devon Moore before breaking his own record setting a 6.60 to win the event at the Music City Challenge hosted by Vanderbilt.
The only other Division II athlete to record a faster time than Morrison was Joshua Caleb of Alaska Anchorage who will share the track with Morrison in Indianapolis.
"(Andre) has had a very consistent season," Showler-Davis said. "Race in race out you know what you're going to get and that's what you want come a championship. If he executes his race plan and does what he's been doing all season, he'll be in for an exciting week."
Sadé De Sousa (Namibia) also qualified for the 60m dash on the women's side with a best time this indoor season of 7.41 set at the Finn Pincus Invitational in Salem, Va. De Sousa returns to the NCAA Indoor Championships for the third consecutive season after placing fifth in the 60m in both prior trips.
De Sousa set her personal best at the NCAA Championships two seasons ago with a 7.37. Her best time of 2025, 7.41, ties for twelfth among Division II athletes this season with Joy Udo-Gabriel of Missouri Southern topping the charts with a time of 7.13.
"Sadé has been very consistent the whole year. She's always produced her best at indoor nationals," Showler-Davis said. "I'm hoping she does the same thing again this time around."
Verrol Sam is another Eagle who benefited from a new coaching staff as first-year jumps coach Sam Cleek guided Sam to a national qualification in the long jump. Sam earned a top mark at the Finn Pincus Invitational in Salem, Va. with a distance of 7.49m. That mark alone was enough to earn him a spot in Indianapolis.
The distance for Sam still ranks top ten across Division II with the mark tied for ninth across the level. West Texas A&M's Joseph Oreva has the top mark set this season with a 7.71m jump.
"Verrol (Sam) is someone I'm very excited about," Showler-Davis said. "He's someone who, on his day, if he executes right, can be right there at the top. With the atmosphere and the right competition, I'm hoping he has a great competition."
The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships take place from Mar. 13 through Mar. 15 at the Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The events will be live-streamed on NCAA.com.
This is the first season the NCAA Track and Field Championships will take place in Indianapolis after spending two of the last three seasons in Pittsburg, Kan.
De Sousa and Morrison will kick the Eagles off in Indy at approximately the same time on Thursday, Mar. 13 with De Sousa's first preliminary heat at 4:15 p.m. and Morrison's shortly after at 4:30 p.m. Sam's first jump occurs on day two of competition on Friday, Mar. 14 at noon.
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