HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana track and field program will send student-athletes to a pair of meets this week. The majority of the squad will compete in the Cole-Lancon Twilight meet at Louisiana-Lafayette Thursday, while a smaller group is set to take part in the Northwestern State Invitational Saturday.
The meets will provide the final opportunities for individual Lions and Lady Lions to qualify for the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, which will be held May 14-16 at UT Arlington, while giving those who have already qualified a chance to tune-up against competition one last time.
“Our biggest priorities are to have good meets and stay healthy,” head coach Sean Brady said. “We should be starting to peak. These athletes should run, jump and throw the best that they have all season.”
The meet in Lafayette will feature the women's sprinters, women's throwers, men's and women's jumpers, men's and women's hurdlers, plus men's and women's throwers. The men's sprinters will make the trek to Natchitoches, along with senior thrower Adonson Shallow and senior multi-event athlete Cory Roberts.
Shallow, one of the top all-around men's throwers in the country, is expected to take part in both meets. He will compete in two events at one meet and two in the other. Shallow is the school record holder in shot put and hammer throw, while he is threatening the all-time mark in discus. His javelin attempts have been limited this season, but Shallow has designs on breaking that record as well.
Roberts is also scheduled to compete at Lafayette and Natchitoches. He will be making his first appearances since suffering an injury at the Texas Relays on April 3. Roberts has already qualified to compete in the decathlon, pole vault and 110 meter hurdles at the conference meet, and hopes to earn a meet the criteria in javelin as well. To do so, he would need a throw of at least 138 feet, 6.2 inches (42.22 meters).
On the women's side, sophomore Lacey Sanchez, junior Judith Schultheis and sophomore Michelle Ogashi all appear to be in position to earn places on the podium at the conference meet. They all hope to move up the rankings with personal best performances in Lafayette. Sanchez set the pole vault school record in her last appearance at the LSU Alumni Gold meet, clearing 12 feet, 11.75 inches (3.96 meters), good for first place.
