Eagles leave Bast-Cregger Invitational on a high note
SALEM, Va.- Carson-Newman track and field ended their time at the Bast-Cregger Invitational with first-place finishes and nationally ranked times.
SALEM, Va.- Carson-Newman track and field ended their time at the Bast-Cregger Invitational with first-place finishes and nationally ranked times.
"I'm really proud of the team," head coach David Needs said. "We had a blend of freshman and upperclassmen do really well at the meet."
The Eagles had two freshman standouts in the 1 mile event. In the men's 1 mile run, Tyler Jones finished seventh in 4:46.31. On the women's side of the event, McKenna Spaulding grabbed fourth with a time of 5:44.03.
During the men's 60-meter dash finals, Shemar Patten stood second on the podium for his 6.86-second finish. Dawson Jones followed behind in fourth place in 6.95 seconds. Sade De Sousa grabbed silver for the women in 7.48 seconds, and Janaya Davis-Gainer placed third in 7.84 seconds.
"Sade was fifth in the nation after her performance. I'm proud of all of our athletes who came and worked hard to start the season strong," Needs said.
In the men's 800-meter run, freshman Garrett Wilson placed second in 2:00.48. Christian Henry grabbed bronze in the event in 2:02.55. Another freshman, Sam Cline, rounded out the top-10 with a time of 2:10.41. Spaulding placed seventh for the women in 2:38.28.
"To have so many that ran their first race was good," Needs said. "To have some of those freshman, who were probably nervous, compete that way and want to compete was something I was really happy to see."
Ethan Blaylock placed 17th in the men's 200-meter dash. He finished the race in 23.76. Lauren Tabor placed fifth in the event in 26.85, and Myke'Lah McMiller finished seventh in 27.05.
In the 3,000-meter run, Jenna Pittman won gold in 10:54.91, and teammate Peyton Couch finished second in 11:18.55.
The men's 4x400-meter relay team finished fourth in 3:27.37. Sam Cline, Quacy Virgo, Jones, and Patten each ran a leg in the event. Ethan Blaylock, Taylor Dupler, Brett Lord, and Garrett Wilson grabbed ninth in the event in 3:37.93. The women's team finished fourth in the event. Davis-Gainer, Tabor, McMiller, and De Sousa ran the race in 4:16.62. Another Eagle squad grabbed the six-spot. Savannah Goodwin, Sydney McCarty, Sangare, and Brooke Taylor finished in 4:24.42.
"It's kind of a tradition for us to have all of the sprinters and jumpers compete in the 4x4," Needs said. "This first meet is kind of the end of our fall training, so it is good to compete against each other and other teams. It helps us, as coaches, see who wants to compete and who has excuses. We are really proud of that performance from those athletes."
In the women's long jump, Sangare grabbed gold with a 5.96-meter leap, the 4th best mark in Division II. Taylor placed second with a new personal record. She earned a 5.58-meter mark. Goodwin grabbed bronze in the event with a 5.52-meter mark. McCarty rounded out the top-5 with a 5.20-meter leap. On the men's side of the event, Camden Fritz placed third with a 6.65-meter mark.
"I loved seeing Kadidja hitting a provosional mark and grabbing fourth in the nation in the event," Needs said. "It was nice to see her making a mark so early."
Taylor landed in second during the women's triple jump with a 11.50-meter mark, a new personal best in the event.
Luke Smith placed fourth in the men's shot put with a 14.60-meter performance. Ian Salyer competed in the men's weight throw where he placed sixth (13.13 m), and Matthew Campbell finished seventh in the event (12.91 m).
"As a coach and a staff, we are really proud of this weekend's performance," Needs said. "We have qualified for nationals in one event or another during every meet we have attended since 2014. This meet was no different, and we are excited as we move forward."
Carson-Newman track and field is back in action Friday, Jan. 19 at the Vanderbilt Invitational. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
