Track & Field: Burger, Leleux Earn SBC Freshman Of The Year Honors For Louisiana

 Matt Sullivan, Associate Director of Athletics Communications

Click here for the 2019 Track & Field Reunion Information.

Hannes Burger

Reagann Leleux

Duo combined for three individual titles at last week’s SBC Indoor

NEW ORLEANS – After combining for three individual titles for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns track and field team at last week’s Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships, Louisiana’s Hannes Burger and Reagann Leleux each earned Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year honors, in a vote by the league’s head coaches and released on Thursday.
 
The duo helped Louisiana to its best performance in recent years, with the men’s team finishing fourth overall in the nine-team field with 82 points. The Ragin’ Cajuns women’s team, bolstered by individual titles from Leleux and Shalei Matthews, secured its best finish since 2015 finishing eighth overall with 50 points in the 12-team field.
 
Burger, the third Ragin’ Cajuns member to earn SBC Male Freshman of the Year honors joining Justin Arceneaux (2007) and Sander Maes (2012), claimed both the 3,000-meters (8:24.25) and 5,000-meters (14:42.68) at the SBC Championships. Burger, who added a sixth-place finish in the Mile Run, finished as the Sun Belt’s Male Top Scorer in the two-day event with 23 points.
 
Leleux, the 2019 women’s indoor champion in the pole vault, cleared 12-6 ¼ in her inaugural conference meet and became the Ragin’ Cajuns first SBC Indoor champion since Kaitlyn Moreau (pentathlon) and Kelci Lyons (800 meters) in 2015. The New Iberia native and became the first female Ragin’ Cajuns member to earn Freshman of the Year notice.
 
Leleux and Burger joined Louisiana teammates and SBC champions Dominique Williams (men’s weight throw) and Matthews (women’s triple jump) as first-team All-Sun Belt Conference performers.
 
Five other members – Kyle Baudoin (men’s pole vault), John Joseph (men’s triple jump), Graham Sokol (men’s weight throw), Kimmie Rushford (women’s pole vault) and Juliette Smith (women’s pentathlon) all received third-team All-Sun Belt honors for Louisiana after earning third-place finishes in their respective events.
 
Louisiana will officially open its outdoor season on Saturday, March 9, when it travels to Lake Charles for the McNeese Cowboy Relays.
 
Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsTRK), Facebook (Ragin’ Cajuns TRK) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsTRK) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Track and Field/Cross Country.
 
2019 SUN BELT CONFERENCE INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD INDIVIDUAL WINNERS
Men’s Track Most Outstanding Performer
Erik Martinsson, UTA
 
Men’s Field Most Outstanding Performer
Ben Collerton, Texas State
 
Men’s Freshman of the Year
Hannes Burger, Louisiana
 
Men’s Newcomer of the Year
Jermie Walker, Arkansas State
 
Men’s Coach of the Year
John Sauerhage, UTA
 
Women’s Track Most Outstanding Performer
Tramesha Hardy, Texas State
 
Women’s Field Most Outstanding Performer
Emilie Berge, South Alabama
 
Women’s Freshman of the Year
Reagann Leleux, Louisiana
 
Women’s Newcomer of the Year
Leslie Romero, Texas State
 
Women’s Coach of the Year
Jody Stewart, Texas State
 
2019 All-Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Teams (Louisiana honorees)
MEN’S
First Team
Hannes Burger, Louisiana
Dominique Williams, Louisiana
 
Third Team
Kyle Baudoin, Louisiana
John Joseph, Louisiana
Graham Sokol, Louisiana
 
WOMEN’S
First Team
Reagann Leleux, Louisiana
Shalei Matthews, Louisiana
 
Third Team
Kimmie Rushford, Louisiana
Juliette Smith, Louisiana