Jordan takes home bronze, earns All-American status alongside Kasmi
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Carson-Newman may have only sent two athletes to the 2026 Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, but they'll take home hardware. Both Rylan Jordan (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Amine Kasmi (Brussels, Belgium) finished as First Team All-Americans for their efforts this weekend.
VIDEO: Head coach Kieran Showler-Davis Interview
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Carson-Newman may have only sent two athletes to the 2026 Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, but they'll take home hardware. Both Rylan Jordan (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Amine Kasmi (Brussels, Belgium) finished as First Team All-Americans for their efforts this weekend.
"I think it's motivating. You know, the group that we have pushing each other each week in training," head coach Kieran Showler-Davis said. "You've got a lot of All-Americans in amongst that group from other years, and then we've added a few more individual All-Americans this year. So I think that just raises the bar of the group, and people want to push and make nationals, that's a nice thing."
Jordan ran a personal record 6.66-second time in the 60m finals and lunged across the line to take home bronze in a photo finish.
"It just shows all the hard work we put in and how my teammates have pushed me to be the best man I could be," Jordan said. "Also, how Coach Kieran has pushed me every single day, making sure I do everything properly. So big shout-out to coach Kieran, because I put my full trust in him and his program, because he is a genius when it comes to this.
The sophomore marks the 10th All-American in the last 10 years for Carson-Newman in the 60m, continuing a streak of excellence that includes his head coach, Kieran Showler-Davis.
"It just feels great, because looking back at our history, we've had amazing athletes," Jordan said. "So to be part of one of those athletes is an amazing feeling."
Amine Kasmi also joined the All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the 200m finals, at 21.03 seconds. Kasmi's fight displays the Carson-Newman Track & Field story in a strong light.
"We're not always ranked first or even in the top 10, and the guys just managed to find a way to make it into the finals," Showler-Davis said. "We always say, just if you can come in and do what you've done in the regular season, time-wise or mark-wise, that's going to put you in a good place. So, for the guys that came here this weekend, Rylan started as a 400-meter runner; that's what his main event was last year. Now he's first place, First Team All-American, and then Amine, the past two years, he's been basically the first guy out each year, and now he's First Team All-American."
Carson-Newman finished 20th in the event overall with 11 points on the weekend
As the indoor season ends, the outdoor season begins for Carson-Newman. The Eagles start the outdoor campaign this coming week with an in-state trip to Cleveland, Tennessee for the Lee University Invitational on March 20th and 21st.
