LAKE CHARLES, La. - Windy and rainy conditions prevented the entire field from posting impressive marks at the Cowboy Relays on the campus of McNeese State on Saturday, with the noticeable exception of junior thrower Adonson Shallow. The Kingston, St. Vincent and the Grenadines native shattered the school record in the hammer throw on Saturday to lead the Southeastern Louisiana University men's and women's track and field squads through an arduous opener to the 2009 outdoor season.
"The conditions were absolutely miserable," head coach Sean Brady said. "The rain would not let up and they had to cancel a few of the final events. No one was able to score well today, which is what makes what Adonson did that much more impressive."
Shallow claimed first in the weight throw with a throw of 196 ft. 11 in. (60.03 m), bettering the previous school record (Dwight Womack's 173 foot toss in 2007) by nearly 17 feet. Shallow stayed busy by going on to claim first in the discus and third in the javelin.
Junior teammate Chris Labat also had an impressive showing as part of a strong Lions' throws group with a second place finish of 172 ft. 6 in. (52.59 m), the third-best throw in school history.
Both the Lions and Lady Lions also boasted strong showings in the jump events. Junior Corey Billizone and sophomore Michael Rheams claimed first in the triple jump and long jump, respectively. Meanwhile, on the women's side, senior Roseann Bell and freshman Michelle Ogashi finished first and second, respectively, in the long jump.
"Our top-level competitors did what we expected them to do," Brady said. "We just need our younger kids to step up. They have never really been asked to compete in these kind of conditions before, so it was a good lesson in toughness for them. Now we have a good idea of what we need to start working on for the rest of the year."
The Lions and Lady Lions will return to action when they head to the ULL Combined Events and Louisiana Classics beginning March 19.