University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, February 8
Birmingham, Ala.
TBA
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
Samford Multi and Invitational
Several Athletes Return to Action as UL Wraps Up Samford Invite
2/10/2013 12:11:00 AM | Track and Field
Contact: Matt Hebert
Complete Meet Results (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's track and field squad continued its preparations for the upcoming Sun Belt Indoor Championships here Saturday by returning a full compliment of athletes to action in the Samford Multi and Invitational meet.
Saturday's meet was held at the Birmingham Crossplex, the site of the Sun Belt Championships in 2014.
With the SBC meet only two weeks away, the Ragin' Cajuns saw a number of athletes return to the track headlined by Justin Jones and Kacey Elphage.
Jones qualified for the finals of the 60 meter dash with a time of 6.92 seconds and in the 200 meter dash placed 12th as he was one of only 14 athletes in a race of 84 competitors to run under 22 seconds (21.83) and recorded his season-best time in the event.
Elphage was one of 12 athletes who competed in the 60 meter hurdles invitational and she placed first in both the preliminaries and the finals. 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). Elphage blasted the competition in the finals of the event as her time of 8.48 seconds was well ahead of another SBC competitor, Tamara Moore of Georgia State (8.67) for the title.
Elphage posted a personal-best in the 60 meter hurdles with Saturday's performance, topping her previous time of 8.74 at the Texas A&M Conference Challenge in 2011.
Morgan Breaux of nearby North Vermilion High School had a strong return to the track in the women's 60 meter dash with her time of 7.72 in the finals of the event falling just short of her personal best of 7.70 set at last season's LSU Twilight.
Freshman Cole Stafford placed 19th and set his season-best time in the 1-mile run with a time of 4:25.47 which was six seconds faster than his 1-mile debut at Arkansas State on Jan. 25 (4:31.75).
Anna Devitt and Ashley Irwin provided the Cajuns with a solid effort in the 5,000 meter run. Devitt, in her collegiate debut in the event, clocked in at 18:14.24 for a Top 10 finish (7th place). Irwin, running in the event for the second time in her rookie campaign, ran a full minute faster than she did at Arkansas State with a time of 18:37.97.
The Cajuns' 4x400 relay squads both finished in the upper half of stacked fields.
In a field of 31 squads, the Cajuns women's grouping of Amanda Roberts, Danielle Castaldi, Stacy Imagbe and Krystal Chevis placed eighth (8th) with a time of 3:54.23. The time represented the season best for the UL women.
In a race featuring 21 squad, the UL men's 4x400 team of DeMarcus Runnels, Antoine Jackson, Keygan Keys and Zach Meche clocked in at 3:21.50 and finished 11th. It marked the third straight appearance in the event that a Cajuns team improved upon the season-best time.
In field events, Albert Fournette made his second appearance of the 2013 campaign and placed third (3rd) in the shot put. His toss of 18.21m/59-9 bested his 18.11m/59-5 at Arkansas State and was the top mark amongst all non-BCS school competitors.
Myles Melancon also finished in the Top 10 as his toss of 16.47m/54-0 ½ placed him 10th and was his season-best. Kenneth Nassar, a freshman from Houston, appeared in the event for the second straight week and topped 50 feet once again by tossing 15.35m/50-4 ½ to give UL three athletes with a 50-plus foot shot put.
Justin Victor placed seventh (7th) out of 36 entrants into the men's weight throw competition with a throw of 17.25m/56-7 ¼. Victor threw past 56 feet for the third time in as many appearances in the event this season.
In women's field events, Madalyn Trisler (high jump) and Tia Mitchell (long jump) turned in Top 5 showings in the jumps.
Trisler leaped 1.67m/5-5 ¾ in the high jump and finished a mere four inches off Auburn's Maya Pressley's winning measurement. Mitchell was one of only four (51 total competitors) athletes to leap past 18-10 in the long jump and placed fourth. Mitchell's mark was 5.74m/18-10.
Brittany Blunt returned to the field for the first time since the Arkansas State Invitational (Jan. 25) and broke the school indoor weight throw record again. Blunt's throw on Saturday was 17.53m/57-6 ¼ which placed her seventh and surpassed her previous school record of 16.94m/55-7 at ASU.
Wes Gonazales completed participation in the heptathlon. Sander Maes, who competed on Friday, did not partake in Saturday's heptathlon events.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns final meet before the Sun Belt Championships in Jonesboro, Ark., which are set for Feb. 24-25, takes place on Friday, Feb. 15 in Baton Rouge as squad participates in the LSU Twilight.
The LSU Twilight takes place at the Carl Maddox Field House on the LSU campus. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children aged 12 and under. Field events begin at 12:30 p.m. with the weight throw. The first track event gets underway at 5:15 p.m. with women's 60 meter hurdles preliminaries.
MEN'S PERFORMANCE LIST
60 meter dash preliminaries
Justin Jones (6) 6.92
60 meter dash finals
Justin Jones (7) 6.86
200 meter dash
Justin Jones (12) 21.83
DeMarcus Runnels (36) 22.50
400 meter dash
Zach Meche (29) 50.72
Antoine Jackson (34) 50.88
Keygan Keys (42) 51.28
800 meter run
Matt Rice (27) 1:57.88
Scott Brewster (36) 2:00.41
Cole Stafford (42) 2:02.08
1 mile run
Cole Stafford (19) 4:25.47
Scott Brewster (22) 4:27.79
5000 meter run
Corbett Ourso (20) 16:10.63
Trey Bonin (21) 16:10.69
4x400 relay
DeMarcus Runnels, Antoine Jackson, Keygan Keys, Zach Meche (11) 3:21.50
Pole Vault
Michael Vani (7) 4.75m/15-7
Josh McDaniels (21) 4.30m/14-1 ¼
Long Jump
Devin Davis (9) 6.96m/22-10
Micah Thomas (24) 6.59m/21-7 ½
Triple Jump
Quadaex White (12) 13.97m/45-10
O'Daylon Thibeaux (13) 13.92m/45-8
Shot Put
Albert Fournette (3) 18.21m/59-9
Myles Melancon (10) 16.47m/54-0 ½
Kenneth Nassar (17) 15.35m/50-4 ½
Weight Throw
Justin Victor (7) 17.25m/56-7 ¼
Heptathlon
Total Points (FINAL)
Wes Gonzales (12) 3,752 points
•60 meter hurdles
Wes Gonzales (DNF)
•Pole Vault
Wes Gonzales (7) 3.84m/12-7 ¼ - 573 pts
•1000 meter run
Wes Gonzales (5) 3:00.34 – 661 pts
60 meter hurdles Invitational preliminaries
Morgan Cormier (11) 8.54
WOMEN'S PERFORMANCE LIST
60 meter dash preliminaries
Morgan Breaux (4) 7.79
60 meter dash finals
Morgan Breaux (4) 7.72
200 meter dash
Morgan Breaux (28) 25.60
Jasmin Fusilier (46) 26.53
Alexis Malone (54) 26.76
400 meter dash
Amanda Roberts (25) 58.54
Krystal Chevis (29) 58.85
800 meter run
Danielle Castaldi (19) 2:17.71
1 mile run
Bree Fontenot (42) 5:33.34
5000 meter run
Anna Devitt (7) 18:14.24
Ashley Irwin (12) 18:37.97
4x400 relay
Amanda Roberts, Danielle Castaldi, Stacy Imagbe, Krystal Chevis (8) 3:54.23
High Jump
Madalyn Trisler (3) 1.67m/5-5 ¾
Lindsey Harmon (16) 1.62m/5-3 ¾
Pole Vault
Meredith Driskell (19) 3.50m/11-5 ¾
Long Jump
Tia Mitchell (4) 5.74m/18-10
Stacy Imagbe (13) 5.47m/17-11 ½
Triple Jump
Tarvia Conway (13) 11.29m/37-0 ½
Jasmin Fusilier (13) 11.29m/37-0 ½
Shot Put
Jana Jones (5) 14.01m/45-11 ¾
Brandi Franks (26) 11.48m/37-8
Weight Throw
Brittany Blunt (7) 17.53m/57-6 ¼
Jana Jones (21) 15.14m/49-8 ¼
60 meter dash Invitational preliminaries
Alexis Malone (15) 7.85
60 meter hurdles Invitational preliminaries
Kacey Elphage (1) 8.49
60 meter hurdles Invitational finals
Kacey Elphage (1) 8.48
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