HAMMOND - With the Southland Conference Outdoor championships two weeks away and the outdoor track season kicking into high gear, Southeastern Louisiana University track and field head coach Sean Brady came upon an interesting opportunity for his student athletes. Brady has rescheduled Southeastern for a visit to the UC San Diego Triton Invitational where the Lions' and Lady Lions' elite athletes will match up against some of the best programs on the west coast on the beach at San Diego.
The Lions will take senior jumper Babatunde Babalola, senior throwers Teremine White and Dwight Womack and freshman distance runner Henry Rop out west. Meanwhile, senior thrower Colleena Collins, junior long jumper Roseann Bell, sophomore pole vaulter Aqueelah El-Amin and sophomore thrower Yvette Schubert will represent the Lady Lions.
Southeastern will face off against 30 different programs including Pac-10 powers UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State. Meanwhile, programs from as far as the University of Akron and Auburn University will give the Lions and Lady Lions a chance to post elite marks against top-level programs from around the nation.
"This is a good opportunity for us," Brady said. "UCSD is a Division II program, but everyone in the country knows that they have really top notch facilities. In addition, they are right on the beach and the winds off the ocean are very dependable and are usually just within the legal limit. The conditions here are very conducive to posting good times and scores, which is why you see programs from around the country trying to get in on this meet."
The chance to score well was a major consideration for Brady and his staff in scheduling the San Diego trip. However, with the Lions and Lady Lions originally scheduled to compete in the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa this weekend, Brady did not deny that the chance to abandon Drake's expected weekend highs of mid to upper 50's with rain in favor of perpetually sunny and mild San Diego was a factor.
"This will be a chance for our elite athletes to score well and see how they stack up against top competition," Brady said. "But it's also a bit of a reward for some of these student-athletes and an incentive to our younger student-athletes to keep working hard and reach that elite level so they can earn a trip like this. Besides, with the conditions the way they are expected in Iowa this weekend, you run a greater chance of a kid pulling a muscle or slipping and falling, and we want to stay healthy as the conference meet approaches."
The Lions and Lady Lions will compete in San Diego on Friday and Saturday. The remaining squad will head north to Monroe for the ULM Warhak classic this Saturday.