BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The New Orleans Privateers track and field team battled through a tough day at the conclusion of the Southland Conference Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday.
The day started with promise as Markus Leemet carried his 101-point lead into the final three events of the men's heptathlon. Though the advantage was trimmed to 67 going into the last event, Leemet was still in a strong position. However, during the 1,000-meter, Leemet was pushed toward the inside of the track and hit the rail. He rolled his ankle and was unable to finish the race. Gathering no points from the last event, Leemet dropped to an 11th place finish in the event.
"Markus was well ahead of the field going into the final event of the heptathlon, but caught a tough break when he got bumped off the track. Regardless of that, I was very proud of his and the team's effort today, and we're all looking forward to continued improvement this outdoor season," said Head Coach Mike Erb.
Darius Roy participated in two sprint finals. First up, he clocked a 6.86 in the 60-meter while finishing seventh. Later in the night, Roy just missed a top-three finish by placing fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.70. "There were some really solid performances today. Constant and Darius showed that they belonged among best of the conference, and it was great to see our women high jumpers compete well," said Erb.
The Privateers collected 14 points on the women's side with all of them coming from Sofia Johnsson and Farydah Inoussa for their second and third place performances In the women's heptathlon. On the men's side, New Orleans gathered 10 total points in their debut Southland Indoor Championship meet.
With the indoor season finished, the Privateers now shift to the outdoor season, which starts with the McNeese Cowboys Relays "Bob Hayes Louisiana Challenge" on Mar. 15.