Freddie Hannie and Erik Whitsitt looking for results for different reasons

Feb. 7, 2008

McNeese State athlete Freddie Hannie and assistant coach Erik Whitsitt head into Saturday's indoor meet at the University of Houston with different objectives.

Both will be participants, and both will be going through final tune-ups, Hannie for the Southland Conference indoor championship and Whitsitt for the U.S. Indoor track and field championships.

"I'm just hoping to medal," Hannie said of his goal for the conference meet in two weeks.

He figures that it will take 56 to 57 feet in the weight throw to do that and thus far this season, his best has been 52-8 3/4 which he threw last week at LSU.

A senior from Lake Charles, Hannie holds the school's outdoor record in the hammer and earned a third place at last year's conference spring meet, also being named to the all-Louisiana team.

Whitsitt, who coaches the throws for the Cowboys, believes that Hannie has a chance at conference, pointing to the fact that the leader in the weight throw in the conference is at 61 feet while second place is 58 feet and third place is 57 feet.

The McNeese assistant coach, himself, will be out to tap 59 feet in the shot put. He needs to go 59-1 to qualify for the US Indoor championship meet. Thus far this year Whitsitt has a best of 58-4.

The field events should be a strong point for the Cowboys in Saturday's day long meet at Houston as well as in the upcoming conference championship.

Jimmie Heath, ranked second in the SLC in the pole vault, will compete in that event while the Brown brothers, Darrick and Marcus, are expected to continue to show improvement as is John Jamail.

Heath has gone 16-6 3/4 this season while Darrick Brown got off a 24-2 1/2 leap in the long jump last week and has gone 6-8 3/4 in the high jump. Marcus Brown has a 23-5 1/4 best in the long jump.

Jamail leads the Cowboys in both the weight throw and the shot put. He has a school record best of 54-5 1/4 in the weight and has gone 55-6 1/2 in the shot.

Distance runners Stephen Scullion and Jordan Neil will take a crack at the Northern Ireland national indoor junior record of 8:27 in the 3000 meters while Mark Hoey will run the 5000 meters for the first time.

High jumper Lindsay Brooks, pole vaulter Julie Buller and distance runner Amy Guinn will lead the Cowgirls. Brooks has gone 5-4 1/2 this year and holds the school outdoor record, Buller has a 10-10 pole vault best and Guinn ranks among the conference leaders in the mile run.