BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Louisiana University track and field teams wrapped up the 2014 Southland Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Thursday at the Birmingham CrossPlex, as the men's squad claimed the conference title.
"Everything that we hoped to accomplish, we did…and then some," said head coach Sean Brady. "We set ourselves up nicely yesterday, but we really caught fire today."
Highlighting the men's performances, senior Jeffrey Milliron placed first in the men's weight throw (20.38m, 66-10.50), as junior Brett Olsen came in second (19.91m, 65-04.00).
Senior Brandon Daniels posted a time of 6.82 seconds in the men's 60-meter dash, earning second place. Tarvoris Mack placed fifth in the men's heptathlon. T.J. Herbert posted a second-place time of 21.56 in the men's 200-meter dash and also earned fifth place in the men's 60-meter dash (6.84).
"Our senior guys did what we asked them to," said Brady. "They put this team on their shoulders."
The women's squad, who finished sixth, was paced by first-place performances from Ikea Kaufman and Misha Frazier. Frazier claimed the women's shot put with a toss of fifty feet, 10.75 inches, while Kaufman posted the winning mark (1.73m, 5-08.00) in the women's high jump.
Two third-place finishes were recorded by Alicia Noel (8.54) and Abram Taylor (8.15) in the 60-meter hurdles. Nia Stewart came in 8th in the women's 60-meter dash, while freshman Whitney Adams placed 5th in the women's pole vault (11-10.75).
"We didn't know how it was going to play out with all of the new teams in the conference," Brady said. "But the Southland is a very competitive conference in track. I thought that on both the men's and women's side, we performed well against some very good squads."
Also earning points for Southeastern was freshman Alex Holden in the men's 800-meter run (4th, 1:53.20), Jonathan Kinchen (5th, 62-01.25) and Jimmy LeBlanc (55-07.00) in the men's weight throw, and Domonique White in the women's 400-meter dash (56.13).
This is Southeastern's first indoor title in school history, and Brady looks to use this win to propel his team into the outdoor season.
"We were fortunate this season. We came in healthy and we left healthy," said Brady. "These are memories that they'll have for a long time."
Men's Final Team Standings
1. Southeastern Louisiana, 119.0
2. Sam Houston State, 106.50
3. Stephen F. Austin, 91.0
4. Lamar, 75.0
5. Northwestern State, 60.0
6. Abilene Christian, 46.0
7. McNeese State, 43.50
8. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 43.0
9. Central Arkansas, 32.0
10. Oral Roberts, 27.0
11. New Orleans, 10.0
12. UIW, 5.0
13. Houston Baptist, 4.0
Women's Final Team Standings
1. Sam Houston State, 132.0
2. Stephen F. Austin, 124.0
3. Lamar, 82.0
4t. McNeese State, 53.0
4t. Central Arkansas, 53.0
6. Southeastern Louisiana, 46.0
7. Northwestern State, 36.0
8. Houston Baptist, 26.0
9. Abilene Christian, 25.0
10. Oral Roberts, 24.0
11. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 22.0
12. Nicholls, 17.0
13. New Orleans, 14.0
14. UIW, 9.0