Track and Field: Men’s and Women’s Track Top 10 in South Central Rankings 1/26/12

Track and Field: Men’s and Women’s Track Top 10 in South Central Rankings 1/26/12

The Ragin’ Cajuns men’s and women’s track and field programs are currently ranked in the Top 10 in the South Central Region rankings, released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) earlier this week.
 
Both squads, under the direction of first-year head coach and UL alumnus Lon Badeaux, were ranked No. 8 in their respective Top 15 poll. Both programs were the second-highest ranked in the state of Louisiana trailing only LSU.
 
The South Central region encompasses Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
 
In individual rankings, Louisiana has five athletes ranked in the South Central Region Top 8 rankings including a pair of freshmen on the men’s side.
 
Jasmine Manuel tops the South Central Region rankings in the women’s triple jump with a leap of 12.70m/41-8 last weekend at the Blue Raiders Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn. That mark is currently sixth-best in the nation on the 2011-12 NCAA Indoor Qualifier list.
 
Manuel also ranks fifth in the region in the women’s long jump, recording a distance of 5.94m/19-6 during the Blue Raiders Invitational.
 
In the men’s South Central Region rankings, the freshman duo of Joshua Sigler and Devin Davis are ranked in the long jump.
 
Sigler, who already has two titles under his belt this indoor season, is ranked No. 3 in the region for his leap of 7.36m/24-1 ¾ at the McNeese Cowboy Indoor (Jan. 13). Davis landed at No. 8 in the season’s first ranking (7.26m/23-10 at McNeese).
 
Albert Fournette’s shot put toss of 17.93m/58-10 at the Blue Raiders Invitational ranks fourth in the region and O’Daylon Thibeaux checks in the rankings at No. 5 in the triple jump (15.38m/50-5 ½).
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns are set for their third meet of the 2012 indoor season as they travel to Jonesboro, Ark., for the ASTATE Invitational at the Convocation Center Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28. Through two weekends of action, coach Lon Badeaux’s squads have collected seven individual titles.
 
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION MEN’S TEAM RANKINGS

1. Texas A&M
2. Arkansas
3. Texas
4. LSU
5. Houston
6. UTSA
7. TCU
8. Louisiana
9. Stephen F. Austin
10. McNeese State
11. Baylor
12. UT Arlington
13. Central Arkansas
14. Texas State
15. Arkansas State

 
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION WOMEN’S TEAM RANKINGS

1. Texas A&M
2. LSU
3. Texas
4. Arkansas
5. Houston
6. Baylor
7. TCU
8. Louisiana
9. Louisiana Tech
10. SMU
11. UT Arlington
12. Stephen F. Austin
13. Tulane
14. UTSA
15. Rice