Two Ragin' Cajuns track & field athletes earned individual titles while 12 others notched podium finishes in Louisiana's opening weekend of the 2011 outdoor season at the McNeese Cowboy Relays in Lake Charles Saturday.
UL brought a limited field of 30 competitors to their opening weekend meet and fared well, competing against five other programs. Junior Casey Comeaux won the men's javelin with his toss of 194 feet and eight inches, edging out UL teammate Marc Malespin's mark of 192-8. Comeaux's brother Chris placed fourth, throwing the javelin 185-2. Earning the other Cajuns' victory was junior Petrona Layne. The Jamaica native crossed the finish line in 2:18.47 to win the women's 800-meter run. Finishing fourth was April Colomb with a time of 2:21. "This meet was a good start to our outdoor season," said interim Cajuns head coach Paula Ogunbanjo. "As a staff, we are pushing the student-athletes at practice. They are getting stronger and it's paying off." Breshaud Woodard had a pair of strong showings in the men's running events. The Freeport, Texas native set a personal best in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.74. He earned second in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 14.89 seconds. In the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Jenna Picou claimed a second place finish as she notched a time of 12:19.53. Kirsten Meche earned a silver-medal mark, tossing the javelin 135-7. Long jumper Chris Raborn's leap of 21-10 ¼ earned him a second place finish for the Cajuns. Zach France's run of 16:08.51 in the 5,000-meter gave the sophomore a third-place time. Freshman DeMarcus Runnels claimed third in the 200-meter, running the event in 22.12, as Amanda Roberts' run of 57.77 in the 400-meter also placed her third. Hlfti Kahssay earned her first podium finish at Louisiana, placing third in the 5,000-meter run in 22:58 minutes. Tarvia Conway, daughter of UL track & field great Hollis Conway, notched third in the triple jump, leaping 38-8 ¼ in her debut outdoor meet. Rounding out UL's 14 podium finishes was Abi Brown with a third place showing in the 400-meter hurdles, posting a time of 1:07.88. UL returns home to Lafayette next weekend, hosting the first of two meets in the outdoor season. The annual Louisiana Classics will be held on Friday, March 18 and Saturday March 19 at the Ragin' Cajuns Soccer/Track Facility. More details about next weekend's upcoming meet will be posted at RaginCajuns.com. MEN'S PERFORMANCE LIST 5,000m Long Jump WOMEN'S PERFORMANCE LIST 400m 3,000m Steeplechase
200m
DeMarcus Runnels (3) 22.12
Willie Allen (7) 22.51
Chris Raborn (9) 22.62
400m
DeMarcus Runnels (5) 50.18
Willie Allen (10) 50.68
Zach France (3) 16:08.51
Juan Rodriguez (6) 16:50.16
Patrick Spiller (8) 17:01.63
Cody Tiller (11) 17:23.10
110m Hurdles
Breshaud Woodard (2) 14.89
Chris Raborn (9) 16.85
400m Hurdles
Breshaud Woodard (3) 57.74 (PR)
Chris Raborn (2) 6.66m/21-10 ¼
Javelin Throw
Casey Comeaux (1) 59.33m/194-8
Marc Malespin (2) 58.74m/192-8
Chris Comeaux (4) 56.44m/185-2
Billy Christian (7) 54.65m/179-3
200m
Amanda Roberts (6) 25.24
Krystal Chevis (8) 25.52 (PR)
Amanda Roberts (3) 57.77
Krystal Chevis (5) 58.46 (PR)
Tiffany Patrick (10) 1:01.80
800m
Petrona Layne (1) 2:18.47
April Colomb (4) 2:21.00
Jenna Picou (8) 2:44.62
Kara Martin (9) 2:46.12
5,000m
Hlfti Kahssay (3) 22:58.00
100m Hurdles
Tiffany Patrick (8) 16.28
400m Hurdles
Abi Brown (3) 1:07.88
Anjel Thompson (4) 1:11.06
Jenna Picou (2) 12:19.53
Katie Kidd (4) 14:13.50
High Jump
Tiffany Patrick (4) J1.52m/4-11 ¾
Long Jump
Ta'Shania Bean (8) 5.26m/17 3 ¼
Triple Jump
Tarvia Conway (3) 11.79m/38-8 ¼
Women Shot Put
Tiffany Patrick (10) 9.68m/31-9 ¼
Javelin Throw
Kirsten Meche (2) 41.33m/135-7
Jeri Ann Sills (5) 38.46m/126-2
Britney Ruiz (10) 33.41m/109-7