ULM Track and Field Finishes High at LSU Alumni Gold Meet

MONROE, La. --- Junior Destiny Montemayor continued her torrid outdoor season and the Warhawks track and field team placed 10 individuals in the top 10 of their respective events at the annually tough LSU Alumni Gold meet at Bernie Moore Track Stadium over the weekend.

Montemayor once again tallied a regionally qualifying mark in the hammer throw, her third on the season, and placed in the top 10 in both the shot put and discus throw to finish as one of the Warhawks highlights. The Waco, Texas-native finished third in the hammer throw (56.05 meters), fifth in the discus throw (45.94 meters) and seventh in the shot put (13.13 meters).

"We did very well considering the top level of competition that was there," ULM head coach J.D. Malone said. "Obviously our throwers enjoyed another great weekend, but we had good performances all around. Heather had a strong meet in the high jump and Brittany performed well in the 1500. It was good weather outside for once and we took advantage of it all around."

Junior Heather Davis' second-place finish in the high jump went down as the Warhawks highest mark in the meet. Davis cleared the bar at 1.78 meters, besting her previous league-leading mark of 1.75 meters set earlier this season.

In the 1500 meter run, freshman Brittany Blackmon finished fifth overall with a time off 4:43.34, the fourth-fastest time in the conference this season and a personal-best by nearly 10 seconds.

On the men's side, freshman Tommy Tumey posted a team-high fifth place finish in the javelin with a throw of 59.71 meters. The fourth-longest toss in the Sun Belt this season, Tumey's throw set a new personal record for the West Monroe, La.-native by nearly three and a half meters.

Junior Mychal Word finished ninth in a highly competitive 400 meter dash field and just missed qualifying for regionals. His 47.59 second time was good for fourth in the second heat and the fastest non-qualifying time in the event. The top eight finishers all qualified for the regional meet.

Junior Andrew Opata finished eighth in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:53.23. Opata teamed with Word, Kendrick Sheppard and Malcolm Bosworth to finish eighth in the 4x400 meter relay.

Freshman Moses Chelimo placed third in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:41.36.

With nationally-prominent programs in attendance at the meet, including LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn and Mississippi, to name a few, the Warhawks were able to build a little momentum going into the upcoming weekend. ULM will host its annual Warhawk Classic on Saturday, April 26 at Groseclose Track starting with field events at 10:30 a.m.