University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
McNeese State Relays
Cross Country Opens Season Friday At McNeese 6K Relays
8/29/2013 7:08:00 PM | Cross Country
Rice, Devitt top returning runners for Ragin' Cajuns
2013 Cross Country Schedule
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana men's and women's cross country team will open its 2013 season on Friday (Aug. 30) when it travels west to Lake Charles to compete in the McNeese 6K Relays at the Ward 3 Multisports Complex.
The three-team event begins at 6 p.m. Louisiana will be joined by host McNeese State, ranked No. 5 in the preseason USTFCCCA South Central Region Poll, and Lamar, ranked at No. 4.
"It's a young team, but there are a few runners who did really well last year," head coach Lon Badeaux said. "You want to see where they're at and really this first meet is a base to see where they're at so we can organize and schedule their training after that. But, more exciting, you want to get out there and see what the freshmen can do."
Sophomore Matthew Rice finished as the Ragin' Cajuns top runner in 2012 competing in all six events and finishing 12th overall at the Sun Belt Conference Championships. Slated to join Rice in the Ragin' Cajuns lineup will be Sean Bezdek, Trey Bonin, Scott Brewster, Jacob Chicola, Corbett Ourso, Logan Pearce and Cole Stafford.
Sophomore Anna Katherine Devitt, the 2012 Freshman of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and a member of the All-Louisiana Women's Cross Country Team, returns to lead Louisiana on the women's side.
The Baton Rouge native earned three top-20 finishes last season, including an 18th-place finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championships. Expected to join Devitt in the lineup will be Camille Barnett, Danielle Castaldi, Jessica Donald, Kaylei Esfeller, Claire Hodges, Ashley Irwin and Courtney Musgrove.
The meet is the first of five on the season for Louisiana.
