Manuel's Record Tops Final Day at Clemson

 Myles Melancon and Jasmine Manuel were the top performers for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's track and field squads Saturday afternoon as the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational came to a close.

Manuel claimed first place in the women's triple jump invitational and established a new school indoor record with a leap of 41-7 ¾. She broke the school record of 40-9 ½ set by Cecilia Noel in 1999 and eclipsed her previous college indoor best of 38 1-1/4 set at the Houston Invitational last season.

Saturday's triple jump leap vaulted Manuel into the Top 25 in the NCAA Division I rankings. She ranks 22nd, which is the second-best ranking in the Sun Belt.

Melancon turned in his best shot put distance of the 2011 indoor season, tossing 52-2 ½. That earned him first place in the men's shot put.

"This was a great pre-conference meet," said interim head coach Paula Ogunbanjo. "As a staff, we are confident and ready to head to Jonesboro to compete in the Sun Belt Championships. This is an exciting time for UL Track & Field."  

Also on the men's side, O'Daylon Thibeaux returned to action and landed a third place finish in the men's triple jump invitational with a leap of 49-0 ¼. Jacob Domingue took part in the men's shot put invitational and notched his fourth 50-plus foot throw of the season (53-7 ¾).

In other women's action, Amanda Roberts turned in her season-best time in the 400 meter dash and it resulted in a second place finish. Roberts traversed the course in 56.96 seconds which marks her new college best. Roberts is the only Cajun to finish the 400 meter dash in less than a minute this season, doing so all three times she's run the event.

Also turning in a season-best time in the 400 meter dash was Krystal Chevis who came in ninth with a time of 59.44 seconds.

Louisiana had a relay team run the 4x400 on the men's and women's side for just the second time this season and first since the Houston Invitational (Jan. 29).

The women's relay team of Krystal Chevis, April Colomb, Petrona Layne, Amanda Roberts turned in a time of 3:57.05 and finished eighth. That mark bested the time of 4:00.41 run at the Houston Invitational.

DeMarcus Runnels, Willie Allen, Shaquelle Cretan, Justin Jones turned in a time of 3:30.31 in the men's 4x400 relay.

The Ragin' Cajuns will now turn their attention to the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. The squads will take next weekend off then head to Jonesboro, Ark., for the SBC Championships being held Sunday-Monday, Feb. 27-28.

MEN'S PERFORMANCE LIST
200m
DeMarcus Runnels (20) 23.11
Justin Jones (26) 23.32

400m
Shaquelle Cretan (19) 52.05
Willie Allen (20) 52.08

800m
Cody Tilley (52) 2:14.51

3000m
Zach France (23) 9:11.36
Juan Rodriguez (32) 9:20.94
Patrick Spiller (36) 9:47.41
Cody Tilley (39) 9:58.85

4x400 Relay
DeMarcus Runnels, Willie Allen, Shaquelle Cretan, Justin Jones (14) 3:30.31

Shot Put
Myles Melancon (1) 15.91m/52-2 ½
Albert Fornette (7) 15.28m/50-1 ¾

Triple Jump Invitational
O'Daylon Thibeaux (3) 14.94m/49-0 ¼
Kenneth Bellard (5) 14.28m/46-10 ¼

Shot Put Invitational
Jacob Domingue (5) 16.35m/53-7 ¾

WOMEN'S PERFORMANCE LIST
200m
Morgan Breaux (17) 26.00
Alexis Malone (27) 26.50
Angela Roberts (59) 28.08

400m
Amanda Roberts (2) 56.96
Krystal Chevis (9) 59.44
Abi Brown (34) 1:03.92

800m
April Colomb (22) 2:22.26
Tiffany Patrick (33) 2:24.12
Kara Martin (35) 2:25.16
Petrona Layne (69) 2:46.03

3000m
Jenna Picou (43) 11:22.68

4x400 Relay
Krystal Chevis, April Colomb, Petrona Layne, Amanda Roberts (8) 3:57.05

Triple Jump
Tarvia Conway (7) 11.18m/36-8 ¼

Triple Jump Invitational
Jasmine Manuel (1) 12.69m/41-7 ¾