JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three more Ragin’ Cajuns track and field athletes participated in the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Friday at Hodges Stadium on the University of North Florida campus with Kenneth Bellard’s Top 25 finish being the day’s highlight.
Bellard placed 21st in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 15.10m/49-6 ½. He joined teammate Kirsten Meche (women’s javelin throw) as Cajuns who have placed Top 25 in the prelims through two days of action.
Bellard narrowly missed the opportunity to garner three more attempts at a shot to reach the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. He was a shade over foot shy of being one of the 16 jumpers who vied for a Top 12 finish which lands a berth in national finals. The cut off for the round of 16 was 15.44m/50-8 by Maryland-Eastern Shore’s Owen Cain.
Kaplan native O’Daylon Thibeaux made his second career appearance in the preliminary round. Thibeaux wound up 32nd out of the field of 48 competitors with a leap of 14.89m/48-10 ¼.
Kacey Elphage was the Cajuns’ representative on the track during Friday’s events. The redshirt junior ran the women’s 100 meter hurdles in 13.72 seconds which placed her 38th in the preliminary round.
Elphage came up short of a trip to the quarterfinals as the final qualifying time for the round was 13.52 seconds by Middle Tennessee’s Rosina Amenebede and Georgia State’s Tamara Moore. She did run the event in less than 14 seconds for the eighth time this season.
The 2012 outdoor season came to a close for all three of the Cajuns competitors. Only the top 12 finishers in each open and relay event qualify for the national semifinal and final rounds of the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be held at Drake Stadium at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 6-9.
Albert Fournette (men’s shot put), Sander Maes (men’s high jump), Jasmine Manuel (women’s triple jump), Chris Roy (men’s pole vault) and Michael Vani (men’s pole vault) will make their bid for the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday.
Roy and Vani start off Saturday’s competition at 11 a.m. (EDT) in the pole vault competition. Manuel makes her bid for triple jump nationals at 4:30 p.m. (EDT), then Maes and Fournette hit the surface at 5 p.m. (EDT). Fournette seeks to earn his return to the shot put national championships.
MEN’S PERFORMANCE LIST
Triple Jump
Kenneth Bellard (21) 15.10m/49-6 ½
O’Daylon Thibeaux (32) 14.89m/48-10 ¼
WOMEN’S PERFORMANCE LIST
100 Meter Hurdles
Kacey Elphage (38) 13.72
RAGIN’ CAJUNS IN SATURDAY’S NCAA EAST PRELIMINARY ACTION
11 a.m. (EDT) – Chris Roy and Michael Vani (pole vault)
4:30 p.m. (EDT) – Jasmine Manuel (triple jump)
5 p.m. (EDT) – Albert Fournette (shot put)
5 p.m. (EDT) – Sander Maes (high jump)
— Ragin’ Cajuns —
Matt Hebert
Assistant Sports Information Director
University of Louisiana
Cox Communications Athletics Center
201 Reinhardt Drive
Lafayette, LA 70506
Office: (337) 482-6330
Cell: (337) 288-6023
E-mail: matth@louisiana.edu
www.ragincajuns.com
