HOUSTON, Texas - Sophomore jumper Michael Rheams claimed first place among collegiate athletes in the long jump and claimed second in the triple jump to head up an impressive list of performances from the Lion jumps crew on the second and final day of competition at the Houston Indoor Invitational and Multi Events on Saturday.
"Michael did a great job today," head coach Sean Brady said. "Our jumps crew has really come on strong and he's been leading the way. They're right where we want them to be."
Rheams got off to a strong start on Saturday, setting a personal record in the indoor long jump, with a leap of 23 ft. 0.75 in. (7.03 m). The jump placed Rheams third overall and first among collegiate competitors.
Rheams picked up where he left off when he claimed second in the triple jump later in the evening. The Walker, La. native jumped 48 ft. 4.5 in. (14.74 m) just 3.75 in. short of his second win of the day.
The Lions' jumps crew continued to be one of the most competitive for Southeastern as juniors Corey Billizone (4th, 47 ft. 10 in./14.58 m) and Kernell Jupiter (10th, 46 ft. 3.5 in./14.11 m) joined Rheams in the top ten of the triple jump.
Helping out the Lion cause was senior Babatunde Babalola who earned third place in the high jump by clearing 6 ft. 8.25 (2.03 m).
"Overall, it was a pretty average meet," Brady said. "We now know where we stack up with the rest of the conference and we know that we have a lot of work to do. The good thing is that we have two weeks before our next meet, so we'll be going hard in practice working on the things we need to work on so we can be ready for Middle Tennesee in two weeks."
The Lions and Lady Lions will return to action Feb. 14 at the Middle Tennessee State Indoor Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn.