March 23, 2024

Eagles soar over windy conditions during second day of the split weekend

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman track and field left the split weekend with multiple spots on the podium this afternoon, Mar. 23.

At the Lee Invitational, Kadidja Sangare placed first in the women's 100-meter hurdles in 13.94 seconds. Despite Sangare running the current fastest time in the event in NCAA Division II, the 4.7 m/s tailwind assisting her and other athletes during the meet disqualifies those events from NCAA records.

"It was a good day, but it was also a very windy day," head track and field coach David Needs said. "There were tough conditions. A lot of our athletes ran extremely well, but many of those times won't stand because of NCAA standards. What it does show us is that we had a really good performance with those tougher conditions. I'm proud of the team today".

Dawson Jones finihsed second in the men's 100-meter dash in 10.41. Teammate Amine Kasmi followed closely behind in third place with a time of 10.48. Quacy Virgo finished 13th in 10.92.

"I thought Dawson and Amine had some great moments today," Needs said. "Like I said, there were some great performances in some tough conditions. As a coach, you can't control the weather. It was important that our athletes took that step of maturity to get out there and run their best despite the weather".

Tytyiana Wilson placed second in the women's 400-meter dash. Wilson finished the race in 57.65. Lauren Tabor finished fourth in 59.14, and Myke'Lah McMiller finished eighth in 1:00.31. Abbie Zander grabbed 11th in 1:00.90. In the men's 400-meter race, Lucas Besong finished fourth in 49.55. Teammate Taylor Dupler finished the race in ninth in 50.19 to set a new personal record in the event.

"Tytiana ran really well in the 400. We've been excited to see her run during outdoor, and she is certainly off to a strong start," Needs said. "I was also really proud of Katie and Colton for their 5,000 races today. Those athletes are on the right track".

Colten Lee placed second in the men's 5,000-meter run in 15:00.09. Lee ran a new personal best in the event. Katie Smock finished 18th in the women's 5,000-meter run in 18:04.49 to grab a new personal record in the event. Imke Van Gog ran a season best time of 18:18.17 to finish 24th in the event.

"Garrett did really well today," Needs said. "We were looking for a mindset today. He, like many others, came prepared and ready to compete".

Garrett Wilson finished seventh in the men's 800-meter run. Wilson ran the event in 1:58.71, a new season best time. Raymond Brugmans finished 13th in 2:00.16. Jenna Pittman finished 18th for the women in 2:29.60. Pittman went on to finish 17th in the women's 1,500-meter run in 5:01.46.

During the second day of the Montreat College Open, Oluwafemi Richards placed second in the men's high jump with a 2.00-meter mark. Kendall Whitehead finished third for the women with a 1.52-meter performance.

Ian Salyer finished 13th in the men's hammer throw with a 43.39-meter mark. Brooke Taylor placed third in the women's triple jump. Taylor finished the event with a 11.18-meter mark.

Kellie Ivens finished 14th with a 26.19-meter mark. James Duncan finished 22nd for the men with a 39.43-meter performance.

"We saw a lot of people take tough conditions and do their best today. That's important because we may have similar conditions at SAC Championships or nationals," Needs said. "Now, we will take a weekend off and go run again in two weeks. I was happy with this weekend, but I am hopeful that we will really see where we are as a team when we step out again".

Carson-Newman track and field will be back in action Friday, April 5th at the Fast Break Athletics Invitational in Cleveland, Tenn. and Tennesee Invite in Knoxville, Tenn. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.