Freeman leads Eagles at the George Mason Last Chance Meet
WASHINGTON D.C.— A trio of Carson-Newman indoor track and field athletes concluded the George Mason Last Chance Meet Sunday afternoon with good showings as the waiting game begins for the call to get into the indoor nationals which begin the second week of March.
WASHINGTON D.C.— A trio of Carson-Newman indoor track and field athletes concluded the George Mason Last Chance Meet Sunday afternoon with good showings as the waiting game begins for the call to get into the indoor nationals which begin the second week of March.
"It was a good meet. We came a long way but saw good competition," coach David Needs said. "It was a good place to be and a great trip to go sightseeing. The whole atmosphere this weekend was great and it is definitely a meet that we may come back to just because it was a good experience for us."
The C-N athletics who made the trip up to the nation's capital this weekend were Kevin Snead (Richmond, Va.), Tiana Mills (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Randall Freeman (Chattanooga, Tenn.).
To qualify for indoor nationals, each athlete must be ranked in the top 16 in the event to get an automatic bit. Circumstances call for additional athletes to make the cut and sometimes up to 20 athletes per event make the trip to indoor nationals.
Earlier in the week, Freeman acknowledged that the George Mason Last Chance meet was indeed the last chance that he and some of his teammates had to improve their times and marks in preparation for nationals.
The senior also understood that this very well could be his final meet as a collegiate athlete and wanted to give it everything he had by going out with a bang.
If Sunday's competition was indeed the senior's final go around, the Chattanooga, Tenn. native walked the talk by garnering a first-place finish in the men's shot put and a seventh-place showing in the men's triple jump.
Freeman took the gold in the shot put after throwing a 15.02m mark. Sunday's tally was the second-highest of the season for Freeman after the senior notched 15.12m in the shot put at the Tiffin Dragon Invitational on Feb. 13.
The shot put was not all Freeman took part in on the afternoon. A provisional qualifier in the men's triple jump, the senior looked to best his season's farthest jump of 14.37m he accomplished on Jan. 15 at the ETSU Track & Field Invitational.
Though the multi-specialist could not match that mark, Freeman still finished with a top-10 distance of seventh in the event after jumping 14.25m.
"The triple jump competition that Randall was in had people bombing some big marks with some of the best out there," Needs said. "One athlete who was competing was trying to make the Olympic team."
Another River City local finished the day with a top-five mark as Mills leaped to an 11.78m mark in the women's triple jump. Mills, who is currently 15th in the nation in the event, jumped a season-best 11.86m at the Buccaneer Invitational on Feb. 5.
Snead was the final C-N athlete to compete on the day in the men's 200m dash. Nearly matching his personal best of the season at 21.73 seconds, the junior put on a fourth-place showing of 22.12 seconds in the event.
With one automatically qualifier in the men's 60m dash with Snead, Carson-Newman will await to hear how many more Eagle athletes will make the trip to compete against Division II's elite.
Indoor Nationals for Division II programs will be held in Pittsburg, Kan. at the Robert W. Plaster Center beginning on Friday, March 11.
"Kevin and Tianna's finishes were both qualifying marks and at every indoor meet we have attended this season, we have submitted a qualifying mark," Needs said. "We are excited with what happened this year with some people who did some really great things. We look forward to nationals and then to rest and regroup for outdoor season."
Stay tuned into to cneagles.com for the releasing of the Carson-Newman athletes who will be making the trip to nationals that will be submitted no later than March 3.
Carson-Newman Women
Triple Jump
3) Tiana Mills 11.78m
Carson-Newman Men
200m Dash
4) Kevin Snead 22.12 seconds
Triple Jump
7) Randall Freeman 14.25m
Shot Put
1) Randall Freeman 15.02m
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