DENTON, Texas – Sophomore Luther Ambrose won both the 100- and 200-meter dash and junior Kyle Kent claimed the javelin title as the ULM track and field team wrapped up competition on Sunday (May 9) at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships. The Warhawk men finished the team competition in fifth-place with 88.5 points while the women took eighth with 51 points. Western Kentucky won both the men’s and women’s team titles.
Ambrose was also named the outstanding men’s track performer at the meet and was the top men’s scorer. He is the first ULM athlete to earn either honor since joining the Sun Belt Conference.
Ambrose claimed the title of fastest man in the Sun Belt with a victory in the 100-meter dash. Ambrose cruised to victory in a time of 10.23 seconds, 0.14 seconds faster than second-place Neko Freeman of Troy. Ambrose’s time was just one one-hundredth of a second off his season-best of 10.22 seconds, set at the Texas Relays. Last season, Ambrose finished second in the 100-meter dash at the Sun Belt Championships.
Ambrose won the 200-meter dash by edging Terrill McCombs of Western Kentucky at the line. Ambrose hit the line in a time of 20.89 seconds, just two one-hundredths of a second ahead of McCombs (20.91). Ambrose became the first Warhawk since Fred Fields in 1992 to sweep the 100 and 200 meters at a conference championship meet.
Ambrose also scored in the 4x100-meter relay where ULM and UALR ran a nearly even finish for fourth-place. The Trojans edged the Warhawks foursome of junior Jarvis Mansfield, freshman Dimitri Hampton, junior Joseph Gilyard and Ambrose at the line by two one-thousandths of a second, 40.647 seconds to 40.649 seconds to take fourth and give ULM fifth, the Warhawks time was a season-best. Behind Ambrose, ULM gained three positions on the final leg of the relay. Troy won the relay with a time of 40.32 seconds.
Kent led a one-two finish for ULM in the men’s javelin. Kent took first-place while sophomore teammate Richard McKay claimed second. Kent posted a season-long throw of 67.72m (222-2) with his sixth, and final, throw of the day to claim the victory. His throw was more than four meters better than his previous season-high. McKay took second with a mark of 64.87m (212-10), achieved on his first attempt of the day. The Warhawk duo recorded 10 throws of better than 60 meters, no other competitor better the 60-meter mark. Last season the duo also took first and second, with McKay winning the title and Kent claiming second.
Hampton was the runner-up in the 400-meter dash, clocking in with a time of 47.77 seconds in the final. Sophomore Keyon Jones also qualified for the final and scored a pair of points for the Warhawks with a seventh-place finish, crossing the line in 48.92 seconds. Western Kentucky’s Terrill McCombs took first in 47.12 seconds.
Three Warhawks scored in the women’s javelin, led by a third-place finish for junior Marcie Richard. Richard used a throw of 44.29m (145-4) to claim third. Freshman Melissa Blake earned sixth-place with a season-high throw of 39.42m 129-4) and freshman Jennifer Goss took eighth, recording a throw measuring 38.51m (126-4). South Alabama’s Angela McCord won the javelin title with a throw of 46.84m (153-8).
In the men’s high jump, freshman Clint Broussard tied for third-place with Jermaine Jamison of North Texas. Both competitors cleared 2.00m (6-6 3/4) on their second attempt at the height, but were unable to clear 2.05m (6-8 3/4). For Broussard, the height was a season-best. Josh Butler of Middle Tennessee cleared 2.05m to win the high jump crown.
The quartet of Jones, freshman Chase Fulco, Hampton and Gilyard earned third-place in the 4x400-meter relay, finishing with a time of 3:17.28. UALR claimed the relay with a time of 3:15.21.
A pair of Warhawks scored in the men’s long jump. Sophomore Josh Howard took fourth with a top jump of 15.35m (50-4 1/2), a season-best effort, on her second attempt of the day. Junior Cruise Arvie also posted a season-high effort, earning eighth-place with a leap of 14.53m (47-8). O’Daylon Thibeaux of Louisiana-Lafayette took first with a jump of 15.85m (52-0).
The Warhawk team of freshmen Kamry Vance, Mariko Beverly, Jade Thomas and Jacobi Wilson finished fifth in the 4x400-meter relay with a season-best time of 3:52.98. Troy claimed victory in the relay with a time of 3:48.51.
In the women’s 4x100-meter relay, the quartet of Vance, junior Victoria Floyd, Beverly and Wilson claimed sixth-place, and three points, with a time of 47.88 seconds. North Texas won the relay with a time of 45.07 seconds. Wilson also took sixth individually in the 400-meter dash. Wilson clocked in with a time of 57.94 seconds in the final, which was won by Ciara Smith of North Texas in 55.46 seconds.
Junior Jerrica Thomas claimed a point for the team with an eighth-place finish in the triple jump. Thomas posted a best leap of 11.93m (39-1 3/4) with her third jump of the competition. Sarah Nambawa of Middle Tennessee won the triple jump with a jump of 13.21m (43-4 1/4).
Junior Moses Chelimo took eighth in the 1,500-meter run, posting a time of 4:05.78, to earn a point for ULM. Saber Salah of South Alabama won the 1,500 in a time of 3:59.12.
ULM will now prepare for the NCAA East Regional Championship. The four-day meet will take place Thursday-Sunday, May 27-30 in Greensboro, N.C.
Final Team Scores
Men
1. Western Kentucky, 138
2. South Alabama, 105.5
3. Middle Tennessee, 100
4. Louisiana-Lafayette, 96
5. ULM, 88.5
6. North Texas, 85
7. Troy, 68
8. Arkansas State, 66
9. UALR, 59
10. Florida International, 13
Women
1. Western Kentucky, 175
2. Middle Tennessee, 137
3. North Texas, 120
4. Troy, 93
5. Arkansas State, 69.5
6. South Alabama, 66
7. Florida Atlantic, 52.5
8. ULM, 51
9. Louisiana-Lafayette, 31
10. Florida International, 17
11. UALR, 5
Individual Awards
Men’s Outstanding Track Performer – Luther Ambrose, ULM
Men’s Outstanding Field Performer – Brian Soverns, Western Kentucky
Men’s Top Meet Scorer – Luther Ambrose, ULM
Men’s Freshman of the Year – Myles Melancon, Louisiana-Lafayette and O'Daylon Thibeaux, Louisiana-Lafayette
Men’s Coach of the Year – Erik Jenkins, WKU
Women’s Outstanding Track Performer – Alysha Adams, North Texas
Women’s Outstanding Field Performer – Tiphanie Baker, Troy
Women’s Top Meet Scorer - Alysha Adams, North Texas
Women’s Freshman of the Year – Ja-Courtney Alexander, Troy
Women’s Coach of the Year – Erik Jenkins, WKU