SAC Brings Home Four National Championships at Outdoor Championships

EMPORIA, KANSAS -- Carson-Newman University's men and Tusculum University's women each captured national championships in their respective 4x100-meter relays on the final day of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted at Francis G. Welch Stadium. The relay teams were joined by Jahzara Hart (Tusculum, 100m) and Luca Poppe (Wingate, 5000m) as the conference produced four national championships.

The Carson-Newman men's relay team of Taylor Madison, Amine Kasmi, Favour Ekpekpe and Rylan Jordan blazed through the field to earn gold-medal and national champion status. The quartet finished in 39.30 seconds to top Shippensburg University, which crossed in 39.66, just ahead of third-place Pittsburg State University.

In the very next event, the SAC struck again, this time in the women's 4x100 relay. The vaunted Tusculum sprint group of Qitarah Castlin, Shanice Cox, Kori Moore and Jahzara Hart claimed Tusculum's first-ever national championship. The Pioneers finished in 44.05, topping University of Mount Olive by .24 seconds.

Hart was not finished, as the senior capped her outstanding career with a national championship in the 100-meter dash. Hart crossed in 11.30, just .03 seconds ahead of second place to earn her second title of the day. Her teammate Castlin placed fourth in the event with a time of 11.36.

The conference added one more national champion in Wingate's Luca Poppe in the 5,000 meters. Poppe sat in fifth place after 1,800 meters before surging over the final eight laps to capture gold. He posted a time of 14:06.27, while teammate Lars Laros earned bronze in 14:08.12. Fellow Bulldog Joaquin Campos placed 11th in the event.

Lenoir-Rhyne University's Sharonda Priester earned national runner-up honors in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.24 to secure the silver medal and eight points for the Bears.

Wingate's Mohamed Dahmouch and David Holman captured All-America accolades in the 1,500 meters with fourth- and sixth-place finishes, respectively. Dahmouch finished in 3:49.98, while Holman crossed in 3:50.06 to earn eight combined points for the Bulldogs.

Wingate added more distance-running accolades as Evie Brooks took fourth and earned All-America status in the women's 1,500 meters with a personal-best time of 4:20.96. Additionally, Klaus Scholz earned All-America honors in the 800 meters with a time of 1:49.27, good for a fifth-place finish.

Tusculum's Kori Moore added another All-America nod for the Pioneers as her time of 13.59 in the 100-meter hurdles was good for seventh place.

The SAC showed out in the men's 100-meter dash with Catawba College's Miles Stephens earning silver with a time of 10.10 and Carson-Newman's Jordan claiming bronze in 10.20. Kasmi added another All-America honor for the Eagles with his seventh-place finish in the event.

Jordan added another All-America performance in the 200 meters with a fourth-place finish in 20.73, while Stephens finished eighth to also earn All-America honors.

Hart added to her haul with a bronze medal in the 200 meters, crossing in 23.46. Castlin also earned All-America honors in the event with a sixth-place finish.

Wingate finished 10th as a team on the men's side while the Tusculum women came away with a fifth place finish.