Cajuns Set to Compete in Sun Belt Indoor Championships

Contact: Matt Hebert

2013 SBC Championships Schedule

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's track and field squad is set to open competition in the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships here Sunday (Feb. 24) morning at the Convocation Center on the Arkansas State University campus.

The two day event will feature all 12 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field teams and begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday with several field events taking place. Running events will begin at 4:00 p.m. with the 800 Meter trials and conclude with the Distance Medley Relay at approximately 8:15 p.m.

Day two action starts Monday at 9:00 a.m. and will conclude at 4:40 p.m. with the 4x400 meter relay.

Twelve total teams will be competing at this year's championship and they include UALR, Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Georgia State, Louisiana, ULM, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy and WKU.

“We are really excited to compete for a conference championship and individual titles, as that is what we prepare for all year,” head coach Lon Badeaux said. “Our women's team is beginning to come around and it will be exciting to see how they fare against the rest of the conference.

“The men's team will have to overcome some key injuries which will hurt our placing some,” Badeaux added. “But we feel confident that we still have the athletes to compete near the top of the conference. We will just need some of the younger athletes to step up and there is no better time than at the conference meet.”

For Badeaux this season's SBC Championships takes him back to the venue where his collegiate head coaching career began. Badeaux served as Arkansas State's head track and field coach for four seasons prior to debuting at UL in 2011-12.

Cajuns seeking to defend their Sun Belt indoor titles from a year ago are Sander Maes (high jump and heptathlon) and Albert Fournette (shot put). Fournette attempts to give UL an indoor men's shot put title for the third straight season (Myles Melancon in 2011, Fournette in 2012).

Fournette is coming off his season-best toss in the shot put, claiming first place at last weekend's LSU Twilight with a distance of 18.54m/60-10.

Kacey Elphage, who has finished first place in the preliminaries of the 60 meter hurdles her past two outings, is the Cajun to watch in women's track events. Elphage posted a time of 8.57 seconds in finishing first at last week's LSU Twilight. The week prior, Elphage ran 8.49 seconds in the prelims and topped Sun Belt competitor Jasmine Patton of Troy a full tenth of a second (8.59) at the Samford Multi and Invitational.

Michael Vani seeks to continue the Cajuns reign atop the men's pole vault. Chris Roy claimed the title last season. Vani's top vault of the 2013 season is 4.97m/16-3 ½ at the LSU Twlight (Feb.15). Vani will be challenged by Arkansas State's Ethan Sandusky who holds the Sun Belt's top mark this season at 5.21m/17-1.

Justin Jones is the Cajun to watch in the 60 meters and 200 meters on the men's side. Devin Davis, the reigning men's outdoor long jump champion, and a three-time Top 3 finisher in the triple jump O'Daylon Thibeaux are Cajuns to watch in the jumps.

Jasmin Fusilier headlines the group of women jumpers for Louisiana entering the SBC Championships. Fusilier claimed triple jump and long jump titles in the Cajuns earlier visit to the Convocation Center (ASU Invitational on Jan. 25). Tarvia Conway and Ta'Shania Bean should also provide several points for the Cajuns women in jumps.

Use the championship central page to find live results, times and recaps. It is located at http://www.sunbeltsports.org/CHAMPIONSHIPS/2012-2013Championships/Winter/IndoorTrackField.aspx

-- Ragin' Cajuns --