Louisiana Announces 2024 Signing Class

LAFAYETTE - Coming off one of the best seasons in recent program history, the Louisiana track and field team looks to build off that success with the latest group of signees.

The Ragin' Cajuns are welcoming Chloe Crowell, Aniya Hill, Evalyn Abdoulaie, Will Howard, Sam Kinnard, RJ Wilson, Donovahn Watkins, Jasmine Sakaguchi, Elaine Paul, Finn Galyean, Jemar Ferguson, Nelvin Appiah, Kayla Harrison, Tijuanique Morton, Dylan Carter, Chaniqua Tonge, and Mario Paul. The signees have a local flare, with seven coming from Louisiana.

Finn Galyean is a hurdler from Lafayette. Galyean comes from Acadian Renaissance where he competed in hurdles. Last season he placed third in the state in the 110m hurdles with a personal best time of 14.44. He also posted a personal best in the 300m hurdles (38.68) and finished second. Galyean claimed state championships in the 4x100 and 4x200.

Dylan Carter is from up the road in Baton Rouge and will compete as a sprinter for Louisiana. The Liberty High School product finished second at the Southern Association Championships in the 100m with a personal best of 10.73.

Will Howard also joins the Cajuns from Baton Rouge after competing at Catholic High School in the javelin. He set a personal record at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays with a throw of 192-9, finishing second. Howard went on to finish eighth at the state championships.

Sam Kinnard, from Vandebilt Catholic, will also compete for Louisiana in the javelin. The Houma native threw a season-best 154-0 as a senior.

Another thrower from Louisiana is Aniya Hill. Hill, from Haughton High School in Haughton, threw shot put and discus in high school. As a senior, she set a personal record in the discus at 134-0 and finished second at the state championships. Her best throw in the shot put as a senior was 32-11.

Chloe Crowell will run distance for the Ragin' Cajuns after her career at Slidell High School. She holds a personal best of 19:13.7 in the three-mile run and finished 17th at the state championships as a senior. She also ran a personal best of 20:13.3 in the 5000m last October.

In-state transfer Kayla Harrison comes to Louisiana after running at McNeese. Harrison finished fifth at the Southland Conference championships in the 400m and qualified for the NCAA East Regional where she ran a personal best 54.64. She also holds a personal best of 23.99 in the 200 and 11.72 in the 100, set at last year's Louisiana Classics.

Louisiana also added a trio of throwers on the men's side, including RJ Wilson and Donovahn Watkins from Coffeyville Community College. Wilson finished fourth at the NJCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw at a personal best of 58-6. He also finished seventh in the shot put at 52-9.25. At the Outdoor Championships he finished 11th in the shot put (50-7.25) and tha hammer (166-1). Watkins finished sixth at the Indoor Championships in the weight throw at 57-95. before finishing 15th in the hammer at the Outdoor Championships with a throw of 158-9.

Jemar Ferguson, from Jamaica College, finished fifth at the prestigious Penn Relays in the javelin with a throw of 196-1. At the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association National Trials, his javelin throw of 191-2 placed him second in the U20 category.

The Cajuns also added a pair of transfers from Fort Scott Community College in Mario Paul and Chaniqua Tonge. Paul was on of the best hurdlers in the NJCAA last year, finishing fourth in the 400m hurdles at 52.11 and was seventh in the 110m hurdles at 14.21. He also was part of the 4x400 team that claimed the Indoor National Championship with a time of 3:10.24.

Tongue finished second at the NJCAA Region VI Championships in the 200m (23.42) and was third in the 100m with a personal best of 11.64. She placed second in the 4x100 at the outdoor national championships at 45.62 and finished 12th in the country in the 100m. She also finished top 10 in the country in the NJCAA indoor championships in both the 60m and 200m.

Tijuanique Morton comes from Minnesota State - Mankato where she was a sprinter. Last season she placed fifth in the NSIC in the 200m (24.43) and seventh in the 100m (11.78). She also placed eighth in the 4x100 (51.89) at the Division II championships.

Rounding out the sprinters is Evalyn Abdmoulaie from Kingwood High School in Kingwood, Texas. She finished third at the UIL 6A District 21 and 5A-16 championships in the 400m at 58.30. Abdmoulaie also finished sixth in the 4x100 (49.18) and third in the 4x400 (4:01.36) at the district championships.

A pair of pole vaulters, Jasmine Sakaguchi and Elaine Paul, both join the Cajuns. Sakaguchi competed at Cloud County Community College where she won the 2023 NJCAA Outdoor Championship with a personal best of 12-0.5 and last season finished third at 11-10.5. Paul, from York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, has a career-best jump of 11-6 and placed third at the IHSA 3A State Championships.

Wrapping up the signees is Nelvin Appiah. Appiah spent last season at Tarleton State after competing previously for South Plains Junior College. Appiah won the 2023 NJCAA Outdoor National Championship in the decathlon with 6,987 points, setting personal bests in the long jump, high jump, pole vault, javelin, 400m, and 1500m. He also finished second in the country at the NJCAA Indoor National Championships with a score of 5,086.

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

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