Meet Results
HAMMOND – Amanda Roberts and Joshua Sigler came away with individual titles on Friday, April 20 to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns Track and Field squad at the first-ever Southeastern Lion Invitational.
It marked the first of two meets for the UL Track and Field program this weekend. The Ragin’ Cajuns will be in Baton Rouge on Saturday, April 21 for the LSU Alumni Gold.
Roberts took top honors in the 400 meter dash with a time of 55.92 seconds. She set her personal best, eclipsing her previous best of 56.26 at last season’s Sun Belt Outdoor Championships.
Sigler, a true freshman, collected his first collegiate outdoor individual title as he finished first in the long jump with a distance of 7.53m/24-8 ½. Not only was the distance the top mark for Sigler in the outdoor campaign, but easily outdistanced his indoor season best of 7.36m/24-1 ¾ set at the McNeese Cowboy Indoor Invite (Jan. 13).
Sigler now has three first place finishes in the long jump this athletic year. In addition to Friday’s title, he placed first at the McNeese Cowboy Indoor Invite and Blue Raider Invitational during the indoor season.
Zach France posted a pair of Top 5 finishes in distance running as he finished third in the 3,000 meter run (8:57.55) and fourth in the 1,500 meter run (4:09.11). Both times were personal bests for the junior who participated in the events in the outdoor season for the first time since 2010.
Freshman Sander Maes recorded season bests in the discus throw and javelin throw. Maes’ mark of 37.96m/124-6 placed him 11th in the discus throw and the mark of 47.96m/157-4 landed him fifth in the javelin throw.
Freshman Madalyn Trisler posted another highlight for the Cajuns women. Trisler’s high jump mark of 1.62m/5-3 ¾ landed her second in the event. It marked an outdoor season best for Trisler, topping the height of 1.55m/5-1 at the Louisiana Classics, and bested her personal best of 1.57m/5-1 ¾ recorded at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships.
“Results were pretty spotty because of the crossing winds, but there were a few highlights, especially Josh Sigler’s long jump distance that places him in the Top 20 in the East Region,” head coach Lon Badeaux said. “I was also very pleased with the personal best in the women’s 400 by Angela Roberts and Krystal Chevis.
“I feel like the team was a whole is heading in a positive direction as we close in on the conference meet.”
Chevis joined Roberts in the Top 5 of the women’s 400 meter dash with a time of 57.02 seconds.
Tarvia Conway placed third in the triple jump with a leap of 12.07m/39-7 ¼. That distance was her outdoor best, eclipsing the mark of 11.82m/38-9 ½ recorded at the Louisiana Classics back on March 17.
Chris Roy and Michael Vani participated in the pole vault, but the results fell below what the duo is accustomed to registering. Roy wound up second in the event with a clearance of 5.05m/16-6 ¾, while Vani placed fourth at 4.90m/16-0 ¾.
For many of the athletes who participated in Hammond, Friday’s event was their second-to-last before the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships set for the Cajuns/Track Soccer Facility May 11-13. They’ll be back in action for the final regular season meet on Saturday, April 28 as UL hosts the Cole-Lancon Invitational.
A few of Friday’s participants will join a contingent of Cajuns athletes in Baton Rouge on Saturday, April 21 for the LSU Alumni Gold.