JONESBORO, Ark. (Press Release) – The freshman tandem of Obdarius Ware and Hannes Burger each claimed individual titles and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns track and field team moved into first place in men’s competition on Saturday at the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Track and Field Championships at the Arkansas State Track and Field Complex.
Shaquille Singuineau added a second-place performance in the men’s shot put while Chandler Mixon finished third overall in the men’s decathlon as Louisiana finished in first place after the second day of the three-day meet with 57 points.
On the women’s side, Louisiana end the day in fourth place with 40.5 points after being paced by a second-place performance from Frankie Griffin in the high jump and Juliette Smith’s third-place finish in the heptathlon.
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. Fans can watch the final day of action on ESPN+ and can follow live results at RaginCajuns.com.
Ware, making his debut in the SBC Outdoor meet, recorded the second-best mark in school history after posting a jump of 25 feet, 4 ¾ inches. The Pflugerville, Texas native became the first Cajun to claim the SBC long jump crown since Devin Davis in 2012 and was one of two freshmen to score points in the event for Louisiana with John Joseph finishing seventh at 24-3.
Burger, who claimed individual titles in the 3,000- and 5,000-meters at the SBC Indoor Championships, claimed the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase after setting a championship-record and posting the third-fastest time in school history (8:56.99).
The Ragin’ Cajuns earned nine points in the men’s shot put as Singuineau finished second overall (54-6 ½) with Zach Lewis finishing eighth (51-3 ¾).
Mixon earned All-SBC honors in the decathlon after his surge in the final five events helped him to a third-place finish with 6,727 points. The New Iberia native opened the final day with a second-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles (14.90) and third in the discus (102-3) before claiming both the pole vault (15-0 ¼) and javelin (163-5).
Smith, who joined Jasmin Fuselier (5,137 points) and Kaitlyn Moreau (5,079) as the only Ragin’ Cajun athletes to score more than 5,000 points in the heptathlon, finished third in the long jump (18-3 ¾), sixth in the javelin (110-2) and capped off the day with a personal-best in the 800-meters, finishing third overall in 2:32.97.
Griffin helped the Ragin’ Cajuns in the scoring column on the women’s side after clearing the bar in the high jump at 5-9 ¼.
The Ragin’ Cajuns had two athletes advance to the finals in their respective events as Tyler Hughes claimed his heat in the men’s 110-meter hurdles (14.90) and Key Alfred finishing third overall in the 800-meters (1:52.98).
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2019 SUN BELT CONFERENCE OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 10-12, 2019
Jonesboro, Ark. (Arkansas State Track & Field Complex)
WOMEN’S SCORES
1. South Alabama 98; 2. Arkansas State 56; 3. Texas State 47; 4. Louisiana 40.5; 5. Appalachian State 26; 6. Georgia State 25; 7. UT Arlington 22.5; 8. Troy 14; 9. Georgia Southern 7; 10. Little Rock 6; 11. ULM 5; 12. Coastal Carolina 3.
MEN’S SCORES
1. Louisiana 57; 2. Texas State 42; 3. Coastal Carolina 36; 4. ULM 31; 5. Arkansas State 30; 6. UT Arlington 27; 7. South Alabama 23; 8. Appalachian State 19; 9. Troy 8.
