University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cross Country
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- lon.badeaux@louisiana.edu
- Phone:
- (337) 482-6313
A 1996 graduate and indoor All-American, Badeaux took charge of the Cajuns program after spending the previous 12 years at Arkansas State, serving as head coach his last four seasons.
During his tenure as Ragin' Cajuns head coach, he has coached 11 All-Americans, including three-time All-American Albert Fournette, two-time All-American Jasmine Manuel and Morgann Leleux - the 2016 NCAA DI runner-up in the women's pole vault and alternate on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team.
Badeaux has coached 75 Sun Belt Conference champions and 279 All-Sun Belt Conference selections since his arrival at his alma mater. During the 2016 season, Louisiana produced six champions with Franz Beyer joining former Ragin' Cajuns Luke Harrington (2000-01) and Jerry Simien (1997-98) as the Sun Belt Conference decathlon champion, Alena Hrusoci establishing a new school-record in the 400-meter hurdles (57.74) and and Leleux shattering the SBC record in the women's pole vault (14-10).
The 2022-23 year was a banner one for the Ragin' Cajuns. It started in the fall when Sophie Daigle finished second at the SBC Cross Country Championships and became the first women's cross country runner in program history to run at the NCAA Championships. She was named LSWA Runner of the Year while Badeaux was named the LSWA Coach of the Year for the second time.
In outdoor track, the team saw the men's 4x100-relay team and javelin thrower Maria Bienvenu reach the NCAA Championships. Bienvenu won the SBC Championships and set a meet record with a throw of 52.87 meters. Javed Jones was the conference champion in the 400-meter hurdles while Jeremy Nelson was the long jump champion. The team also had success by finishing third on the men's side, their highest finish since 2017, and scored over 100 points for the first time since 2012. In the spring they set five school records and posted 23 other top-five outdoor scores.
Reagann Leleux (indoor) and Kimmi Rushford (outdoor) claimed SBC championships in the pole vault in 2019 while Obdarius Ware claimed the men's long jump title and was named the SBC Freshman of the Year.
Building the Ragin' Cajuns men's cross country team into a regionally-ranked program, Badeaux led in the development of school-record holder and all-SBC performer Beau Robinson - the first Ragin' Cajuns athlete to earn four top-10 finishes at the Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships. In 2016, Stanley Limoh earned SBC Newcomer of the Year honors, was named the LSWA Freshman of the Year and capped off an impressive inaugural season for Louisiana as he became the first Ragin' Cajuns runner to compete at the NCAA Championships since 1971.
Of the 12 athletic head coaches on staff at UL, Badeaux is one of four UL alums, joining Garry Brodhead ('80, women's basketball), Theo Sliman ('03, men's golf), and Michael Desormeaux ('08, football).
The New Iberia, La., native helped make A-State a formidable force in the Sun Belt Conference. The Red Wolves women finished second and the men third at the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Badeaux coached 69 Sun Belt Conference champions, 53 regional qualifiers and 19 national qualifiers. Seven student-athletes reached All-American status under his watch, while another competed in the Olympics.
At the 2011 NCAA Championships, ASU pole vaulter Stephanie Foreman grabbed second team All-American honors by placing 10th in the nation.
Badeaux also saw 29 school records fall at ASU, including 15 during the 2010-11 season.
He was part of ASU's 2006 Men's Indoor Sun Belt Conference Championship and was serving as interim head coach when student-athlete James Jenkins was named an All-American after an fourth-place finish in the triple jump at the NCAA Track and Field Championships.Badeaux was named runner-up for the 2004 Mondo National Assistant Coach of the Year for jumps and multi-events by the USA Track and Field Coaches for Division I-A. He was also named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Committee for scheduling.
In addition to ASU's athletic accomplishments, the Red Wolves track & field and cross country programs had 40 members record a 3.0 or higher GPA during the 2011 spring semester. The ASU women's cross country team notched a 3.70 GPA, marking the second highest GPA in the country and earning a National All-Academic team award.
A certified USA Track and Field Level II coach, Badeaux received his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1996. He received his master's degree in exercise science from Arkansas State in 1999.
As a student-athlete at Louisiana, he set the indoor and outdoor records in the pole vault at 17-7 and 17-5, respectively, which stood for 14 years. In 1996, he was awarded All-America status with a third-place finish in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Badeaux is married to the former Mary Godeaux and has one son, Eli.
