March 5, 2021

Stepp earns fifth career Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors

For the fifth time in his career, Tyler Stepp was named USTFCCCA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year on Friday, Mar. 5.

NEW ORLEANS - For the fifth time in his career, Tyler Stepp was named USTFCCCA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year on Friday, Mar. 5.

The native of Jefferson County helped lead the Eagles men's track and field squad to a ranking of 17th in the nation and coached Joseph Oreva to a national qualifying spot in the men's long jump.

"Coach Stepp is a proven coach who strives to coach on a personal level," says Director of Track & Field and Cross Country David Needs. "He doesn't just coach the body, but the mind and heart. He completely invests in all of his athletes and deserves this honor."

Under Stepp, the Carson-Newman jumps squad made large leaps forward in their development as a team, with six of the eleven Eagles on the All-Region team learning from Stepp.

Oreva had a phenomenal debut for the Eagles, obliterating the 44 year old indoor school record in the long jump with a distance of 7.84 meters in his final jump of the day to win the competition. That distance still ranks first in the nation at the Division II level by 0.09 meters. Oreva has won all three events this season, his closest win by 0.30 meters at the KMS Invitational in Birmingham, Ala.

Both Sam Cleek and Shane Connell set personal bests of 2.00 meters this season and finished in the top four of every event they competed in as freshmen.

Josh Whitaker had one of the finest debuts in a Carson-Newman track and field uniform, tying the school record in indoor men's pole vault with a jump of 4.55 meters in his first ever collegiate event.

On the women's side, Stepp coached Abby Owens to a pole vault title at the Buccaneer Invitational with a clearance of 3.50 meters and Nathalie Schumacher to two wins in the high jump and a top-three finish in every event she competed in.

This is Stepp's first Southeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year Award since 2016, after his brother, Tanner Stepp, qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships and another four Eagles provisionally qualifed.

Stepp coached his brother Tanner to the first national championship of any kind for a Carson-Newman athlete at the Division II level in 2018, as Tanner Stepp won the indoor high jump with a still school record jump of 2.17 meters.

Since arriving in Mossy Creek, Stepp has coached 52 All-Southeast Region athletes, three Southeast Region Field Athletes of the Year, and three SAC Athletes of the Year. Stepp has also coached nine National qualifiers, seven South Atlantic Conference Champions, six All-American athletes, and the aforementioned national champion as well as a runner-up honor.

Stepp came to Carson-Newman after a phenomenal career down the road at Jefferson County High School and a college career at ETSU. He was a two-time high school state champion in the high jump, three-time Atlantic Sun Conference Champion in the long jump and two-time D1 All-American in the same event. Stepp continues to hold an IMAC record in the triple jump after leaping 43'5" in the event during his senior campaign.

Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.