David Needs Announces 2021 Indoor Track Schedule
Carson-Newman Director of Track & Field and Cross Country David Needs announced the indoor track and field schedule on Wednesday.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman Director of Track & Field and Cross Country David Needs announced the indoor track and field schedule on Wednesday.
"Our schedule is flexible right now," says Needs. "It's like an amoeba. It's a living breathing organism. Each week we'll to make a decision based on where things are and if we're healthy."
The Eagles will participate in nine events this winter beginning with the ETSU Invitational at the historic Buc Dome in Johnson City, Tennessee on January 15. It's the latest start to the indoor season for Carson-Newman since February 1, 2014 when the squad competed at the Tiger Indoor in Sewanee, Tennessee.
The Eagles were successful at last year's ETSU Invitational, as Devon Moore set a new school record in the 60 meter dash with a run of 6.71 seconds, the second fastest time in the nation at the time. The men's 4x400 relay team of Caleb Agee, Trevor Elliot, Christian Stumpf, and Christian Shouse set a new school record with a time of 3:21.69 in the Buc Dome.
Carson-Newman will fly to Winston-Salem, North Carolina on January 23 for their first of five trips to the JDL Fast Track for the JDL Flat is Fast Invitational.
The Eagles will then head to Salem, Virginia on January 29 for the Roanoke College Invitational. Last year, the Eagles competed at the Finn-Picus Invitational at Roanoke College, with Moore resetting the record in the 60 meter dash with a 6.69 second time, the fastest in the nation. Theo Devillard also earned his first gold medal at Carson-Newman with a 6.83 meter jump in the long jump.
The Eagles will then split up on February 6, with half the team heading to the Camel City Classic in Winston-Salem, while the rest of the squad will head to Johnson City for the ETSU David Walker Meet.
Carson-Newman will spend two days in Winston-Salem on February 13 and 14 at the College Champion Invitational and the Visit Winston-Salem College Classic at the JDL Fast Track.
The regular season ends with one last trip to Salem, Virginia for the Roanoke College Invite on February 19.
The 2021 Indoor SAC Championships will once again be held at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem on February 25 and 26. Last season, both the men's and women's teams finished fourth in the overall standings. Shouse placed first in the high jump,long jump and pole vault at the 2020 event and was also named the Freshman Athlete of the Year and the Men's Field Athlete of the Meet. Moore also finished first in the 60 and 200 meter dashes, and Abby Owens took home gold in the women's pole vault.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships were canceed last season. The 2021 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships are scheduled for March 11-13, 2021 at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Alabama. Earlier this December, the NCAA announced a drop in number of participants for the National Championships for both men and women, lowering the field size by 25% from 270 participants to 205.
"There's a lot of pressure on us this year," says Needs. "The NCAA announced the smaller field size so when you only have 12 spots instead of 16 you really need to be at a higher level of performance. We need to schedule as many places as we can to give the great ones and the kids that are right on the edge a chance to be as good as possible."
