Stepp, Stansberry grab Chick-Fil-A Athlete of the Week honors
March 15, 2016

Stepp, Stansberry grab Chick-Fil-A Athlete of the Week honors

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman track and field's Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.) and women's swimming's Margaret Stansberry (Knoxville, Tenn.) have been named the Chick-Fil-A Male and Female Athletes of the Week.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman track and field's Tanner Stepp (Jefferson City, Tenn.) and women's swimming's Margaret Stansberry (Knoxville, Tenn.) have been named the Chick-Fil-A Male and Female Athletes of the Week. 

Stepp, who competed in the Indoor Championships for the second consecutive year to begin his college campaign, cleared the 2.01 and 2.06 meter bar on the first attempt, but failed on the 2.11 meter height on the next three attempts.

Stepp's sixth-place finish at the Indoor Championships was good enough to earn All-American honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association-the third time the jumper has received the postseason accolade in his career.

After sitting out the first few meets of the 2016 season with a high ankle sprain, the jumper stormed back to post a career-best of 2.14 meters at the Camel City Invitational on Jan. 29 and made it as high as sixth in the nation in the event this season.

Stepp finished first in the Southeast Region in the high jump and was named Field Athlete of the Year from the region a week prior to the start of the Championships.

Stansberry became the first Carson-Newman swimmer to become a three-time All-American at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in Indianapolis.

In the 100 Free, the sophomore became the first Eagle to swim the event under 50 seconds by registering a time of 49.92 seconds and finished third, which tied the program's best finish on the nation's grandest stage. In the 200 Free, Stansberry finished fifth with a time of 1:48.66 and reset her school record. She capped her All-American haul as the anchor of the 800 Free Relay that placed fifth in the nation and reset the school record with a swim of 7:25.92.
The Knoxville-native was also an Honorable Mention All-American in the 200 Medley Relay that finished 12th with a time of 1:44.11.