Indoor Track Campaign Begins Friday at McNeese

Contact: Matt Hebert

Schedule of Events

LAFAYETTE – The Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's track and field squads begin the 2013 indoor season on Friday, Jan. 18 when Louisiana travels to Lake Charles for the McNeese Indoor Invitational at the McNeese Recreation Complex.

Field events begin at 11 a.m. with the men's shot put and the women's weight throw. Running events are scheduled to start at 3 p.m. with the distance medley relay followed by the 55 meter hurdles at 4 p.m.

Eleven schools, including Louisiana are participating in the event. Joining the Ragin' Cajuns is Dillard, Lamar, host-McNeese, New Orleans, Northwestern State, Nicholls State, Southern, Southeastern Louisiana, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UL-Monroe.

Friday's event marks the official track and field start of the second season under the direction of head coach Lon Badeaux.

Live stats for the meet are available at www.cfpitiming.com.

The Ragin' Cajuns men enter the meet as the highest ranked squad in the preseason rankings issued by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Louisiana is ranked 61^st out of the 300-plus schools that sponsor track and field.

“I'm really excited about the men's team chances of being successful in this indoor season,” Badeaux remarked. “We have multiple conference champions returning to the team, including All-American Albert Fournette, and we really feel like we have added some quality athletes to go along with the returnees.”

In addition to Fournette, the top returning men include reigning Sun Belt long jump and heptathlon champion Sander Maes and three-time Top 3 Sun Belt triple jump finisher O'Daylon Thibeaux.

Michael Vani is set to be the Cajuns key performer in the pole vault, a season after debuting with the program (transferred from South Florida) and tag teaming with Chris Roy in the event. Vani finished runner-up in the 2012 Sun Belt indoor championships with a clearance of 4.95m/16-2 ¾. He was one of only three SBC athletes to vault above 16 feet this season (UL's Chris Roy and ASU's Ethan Sandusky the others).

Fournette is a season removed from All-American performances in both the indoor and outdoor season in the shot put. During the 2012 campaign, he posted a string of six consecutive events with a distance of 60-plus feet. The senior from New Orleans is the reigning Sun Belt indoor champion, winning the event with a throw of 18.4m/60-4 ½.

Sophomore Devin Davis, the 2012 Sun Belt Outdoor Most Outstanding Freshman, is another performer to keep an eye on in 2013.

The Cajuns women enter the season needing a performer to step up and replace the point production that All-American Jasmine Manuel provided the squad last season.

“We are still building on the women's side, so we are young,” Badeaux mentioned. “But, we expect that this team will more competitive than teams we have had in the past.”

Tarvia Conway and Stacey Imagbe are expected to be amongst the leaders for UL in the jumps. Conway is back for her third year with the program, and is coming off a Top 10 finish in the triple jump both indoor and outdoor, while Imagbe placed Top 5 in the long jump at the 2012 Sun Belt indoor meet.

Jana Jones and Brittany Blunt are the Cajuns key returners in the throwing events. Blunt landed a Top 10 finish (16.41m/53-10 ¼) in the weight throw at last season's Sun Belt Indoor meet, while Jones developed throughout the season in the shot put claiming a Top 10 finish at the Sun Belt outdoor meet.

Coming off a successful cross country campaign in the fall, the Ragin' Cajuns seek an impact on the track from freshmen such as Anna Kathrine Devitt, Danielle Castaldi, Bree Fontenot and Ashley Irwin.

Alexis Malone serves as the veteran of the women's squad on the track. Malone enjoyed numerous successes in the short distance races in last season's indoor and outdoor campaign.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Indoor Track Campaign Begins Friday at McNeese

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