LAFAYETTE (Press Release) – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns track and field team heads north to Jonesboro, Ark., to compete at the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships, which begin on Friday at the Arkansas State Track & Field Complex.
Action begins on Friday with the first day of the decathlon at 9 a.m., with the first day of the women’s heptathlon set to begin at 9:30 a.m. The finals of the women’s hammer throw will start at 10 a.m., with finals also scheduled in the mean’s hammer throw (12:30 p.m.), women’s javelin (2 p.m.), men’s javelin (4:30 p.m.), women’s pole vault (4:30 p.m.), women’s 10,000-meter run (8 p.m.) and men’s 10,000-meter run (8:45 p.m.). Additionally, preliminaries for three running events start at 6:40 p.m., beginning with the women’s 1500-meters.
Saturday’s action starts at 9 a.m., with the conclusion of the decathlon followed by the final day of the women’s heptathlon at 9:30 a.m. Field events will begin at 12:30 p.m., with prelims in running events set to begin at 5:30 p.m.
The final day of the three-day event will start on Sunday at 11:30 a.m., with the finals in the men’s discus and concluding with the men’s 4×400-meter relay at approximately 7 p.m.
The 2019 Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be broadcast on ESPN+. All three days of the Championship will be shown live starting with the running events each day. Field events will be recapped during the live broadcast each evening.
Coming off a fourth-place finish in men’s competition at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships earlier this year, Louisiana looks to claim its first SBC outdoor title since hosting in 1998. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished in a third-place tie at the 2017 Championships before posting a disappointing ninth-place finish in 2018.
Three members on the men’s team – Hannes Burger (1,500-meters), Damon Guidry (high jump) and Dominique Williams (hammer throw) – have each posted the top marks in their respective events among Sun Belt Conference athletes this season.
Burger, a two-time champion during the indoor season and the league’s Male Indoor Freshman of the Year, enters his first outdoor championship meet ranked No. 2 in the Sun Belt in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and is fifth in the 5,000-meters.
Tyler Hughes (110-meter hurdles) and Sean Bouzigard (men’s javelin) are each ranked second overall in their respective events for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Freshman Obdarius Ware enters his inaugural SBC meet ranked third in the long jump, with Richard Delphin third in the hammer throw, Kyle Baudoin (pole vault) and Shaquille Singuineau (shot put) each ranked fourth, and Graham Sokol (hammer throw) fifth.
Freshman Reagann Leleux looks to earn a sweep in the women’s pole vault after claiming the indoor title in February. Leleux, the younger sister of 2016 SBC Outdoor champion and All-American Morgann Leleux, claimed the indoor title at 12-6 ½ and enters the meet ranked fourth overall.
Kimmie Rushford (pole vault) and Juliette Smith (heptathlon) look to build off their respective SBC Indoor All-Conference performances for Louisiana. Frankie Griffin enters the SBC meet ranked No. 4 in the women’s high jump for Louisiana, while ranking No. 23 in the NCAA East Region and No. 39 nationally.
Claire Meyers and MacKenzie Marze are ranked third and sixth overall in the women’s javelin for the Ragin’ Cajuns with Alexa Johnson (pole vault) ranked fourth and Helena Tibbs (triple jump) sixth.
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