HOUSTON – RaKira Turner posted her best outdoor performance of her McNeese State career on Saturday afternoon when she posted personal records in both the discus throw and the shot put to finish in the top three of each event on the final day of the Rice/Victor Lopez Classic.
Turner, a sophomore on the Cowgirls' squad, finished second in the discus throw with a PR mark of 156 feet, 6 inches, a distance that has moved her into the No. 2 ranking in the Southland Conference. She followed that with a personal best in the shot put of 46-5.25 to place third. It's the third-longest shot put in the league on the season.
Sprinter Danielle Epps ran a 12.11 for a second place finish in the women's 200 meters, a time that ranks her in the top 10 in the league rankings
In the men's 200, Jared Mack clocked a season-best time of 22.50 for a third place finish while Kartavius Hamilton finished fifth in the event with a personal record time of 22.56. In addition, Hamilton finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 23-5.50 that ranks him tied for sixth in the conference rankings.
Ryan Holroyd competed in his first 5,000 meters on the season and turned in a fast time of 14:46.68 to place fifth in the event in what will be a top five time in the league rankings.
In the men's triple jump, John Lemke placed fourth with a season-best mark of 44-8, the third-best jump in the conference on the season. Luke Johnston clocked a 3:53.34 in the men's 1500 meters to finish fifth as his time is the third-fastest in the SLC this outdoor season.
Chance Curlee gave the McNeese State javelin crew its third consecutive win after he threw a 207-09 to win the event by more than 30 feet. Stephen Eccles, the league's top javelin thrower, did not compete on the weekend.
Other top eight finishes for the Cowboys had Zach Cart (11.34) and Mack (11.42) placing fourth and sixth in the 100 meter dash while Hiram Morales was seventh in the discus with a season-best throw of 141-9 that ranks him ninth in the conference.
For the Cowgirls, Lauren Thompson made a good showing in her collegiate debut in the 100-meter hurdles with a fifth place finish and a time of 14.35 that will rank her in the top 10 in the league, and Maya Tunwar placed fifth in the women's javelin with a mark of 107-10.