LAFAYETTE, La. – Junior thrower Adonson Shallow improved on his school record in the hammer throw, senior jumper Roseann Bell recorded the third-best performance in school history to win the long jump, and junior jumper Corey Billizone hit an NCAA Regional Qualifying standard en route to a first place finish in the high jump as the Southeastern Louisiana University men’s and women’s track and field teams turned in a bevy of impressive performances at the Louisiana Classics on Saturday.
“We had a great meet today,” head coach Sean Brady said. “Coming in, we knew what our elite student-athletes were capable of. So our main goal was to see that our second tier kids showed that they were ready to step up and provide us with the depth we were looking for. Today, we got it. We had a lot of personal records set, and our kids really competed well today.”
In total, the Lions and Lady Lions combined for 23 top-five finishes at the Louisiana Classics in a field that included perennial power LSU as well as several professional athletes.
“Our kids were able to develop a little more of a swagger today,” Brady said. “It’s good for them to be able to see our names at the top in a field like this. Now they’re starting to see their work pay off and they know that they can compete with these elite athletes. It’s a tremendous confidence builder for us.”
Leading the way for Southeastern, Shallow continued his dominant performance in the throws events. The Kingston, St. Vincent and the Grenadines native improved on the school hammer throw record he set last week with a first-place throw of 202 ft. 8 in. (61.77 m) for the first 200 foot hammer throw mark in Southeastern history.
Shallow was joined in the hammer throw by junior Chris Labat, who finished fourth, and senior Kyle Francis, who finished fifth, to give Southeastern three top-five finishers in the hammer.
Shallow then went on to claim first place in the discus. Shallow’s 179 ft. 5 in. (54.69 m) mark in the discus was the third-best throw in school history.
One week after Shallow hit an NCAA Mideast Regional Qualifying mark, classmate Corey Billizone joined Shallow by surpassing the qualifying mark in the high jump. Billizone cleared 6 ft. 10.75 in. (2.10 m) to claim the top mark among collegiate competitors and qualify for the 2009 Mideast Regionals.
On the women’s side, senior Roseann Bell led the way for Southeastern. Bell, a Ponchatoula native, claimed first in the long jump with a 19 ft. 0.5 in. (5.80 m) mark in the event for the third best jump in school history.
The Lions and Lady Lions will now prepare for a pair of prestigious meets that make up the heart of their outdoor schedule. Southeastern will return to action next week at the LSU Tiger Relays March 27-28 before heading to the Texas Relays in Austin April 1-4.