Track & Field: UL field performers shine without Roy

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • March 21, 2010

Even with recently crowned indoor pole vault All-American Chris Roy on the sideline resting up for the next two weeks, the UL men’s track and field team still continued its tradition of success in field events.

 

 

 

Sophomore Breshaud Woodard (14.42 seconds in 110-meter hurdles) was the lone UL men’s track athlete to win a running event. Freshman Zach France was second in the 10,000-meter run (32:28.25).

 

UL junior Kail Kidd (10:37.98, unattached) and freshman Chase Menard (10:51.62) finished second and third, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Kelvan Turner, Sean Ruth, Justin Jones and Stacey Fuller were third in the 4×100-meter relay (42.3 seconds). Ruth (tight hamstrings) and Fuller (pulled hamstring) both got hurt, joining a list of injured Cajuns that already included Roderick Houston (broken foot), Joey Wynn (Achilles’ problem) and Louis Stevens (unknown).
Woodard was fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at 58.53 seconds. Jeffrey Vidacovich won the decathlon, while Wes Gonzales was second.
“I think it was a pretty good meet overall,” said Thibeaux, the reigning Sun Belt indoor triple jump champion. “We’ve been working hard. It could have gone a little better, but we’re still working on a lot of things.”
On the women’s side, the Cajuns placed first in the 4×400-meter relay as April Colomb, Gabrielle Augustine, Paula Parker and Abigail Jenkins at 4:01.63. Colomb was also first in the 800-meters (2:20.40).
Katie Roland and Jena Picou ended up first (12:14.41) and second (12:42.98), respectively in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The 4×100-meter relay team of Jasmine Anderson, Deanna Alfred, Krystal Chevis and Alexis Malone was second at 46.59 seconds.
Kirsten Meche finished second in the javelin at 44.23 meters, and Malone was third in the 100-meters at 12.11 seconds. Picou and Ashley Faulk were second (39:50.78) and third (40:00.06), respectively, in the 10,000-meters.
Anderson also won the heptathlon. The Cajuns compete next weekend at the UL/South Alabama Duel meet in Mobile, Ala.
“We’re getting better in the women’s events, but we’re not balanced like we want to be,” Mahfouz said. “Jasmine Anderson was a bright spot. Alexis Malone was another bright spot. Our 4×100 and 4×400 relays ran well.”
Hollis Conway – a former high jump national champion, six-time All-American, two-time Olympic medalist, UL Hall of Fame member and current American indoor record-holder – was one of the many past Cajun track athletes to return to Lafayette.
Conway was able to see his two oldest daughters, Tarvia and Holli, compete on Friday for Ouachita Parish High School in the Louisiana Classics at UL.
Tarvia, who is being recruited by the Cajuns, won the long jump (17 feet, 1.5 inches) and triple jump (35 feet, 1.5 inches). Holli was third in the high jump at 4 feet, 8 inches.
“They definitely had some fun,” said Hollis Conway, who now works as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes area director in Northeast Louisiana. “It was not only fun to be here for the reunion but also to see them compete on this track.”
John McDonnell, a former Cajuns All-American in track and cross country, also came back for the reunion.
McDonnell retired from University of Arkansas in 2008 after leading the school to a combined 42 national championships and 83 conference titles over 36 years in indoor and outdoor track and cross country.
Returning to his alma mater this weekend was an easy decision for McDonnell, a native of Ireland.
“I owe everything that I’ve done to this university,” McDonnell said. “The people here gave me the opportunity to go out into the world and pursue coaching. That never would have happened if I didn’t get a scholarship to come here in the first place.”
McDonnell believes that the future is bright for the Cajuns under Mahfouz, who helped the men finish third at the Sun Belt Conference indoor meet in February and was named the Sun Belt men’s coach of the year. That’s an improvement from a seventh-place showing at the league’s indoor meet from the previous year.
In his mind, Saturday’s results were another example of UL’s continued forward progress on the track.
“He will get it done,” McDonnell said. “He has a lot of people that are backing him up here. He just needs to take his time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It will happen.”

The Ragin’ Cajuns opened the outdoor season Saturday with a strong showing in the field at the Louisiana Classics.

O’Daylon Thibeaux, a freshman from Kaplan, led the way by winning the triple jump with a distance of 15.02 meters.

Two other Acadiana natives, sophomore Antwain Keyes (2.03 meters in high jump) and freshman Jacob Domingue (46.06 meters in discus), earned second-place finishes. Sophomores Tyler Guidry (15.56 meters in shot put) and Garrett Harkless (45.31 meters in discus) were third in their respective events as UL wel

“Field events have always been a staple of UL track and field and have always been strong,” UL coach Charlie Mahfouz said. “We’ve just got to be consistent, stay healthy and piece together some stuff on the track and we will be OK.”

Harkless also finished fourth in the hammer throw (50.95 meters), while Albert Fornette, Jacob Domingue and Myles Melancon were fourth through sixth in the shot put.

Sophomore Breshaud Woodard (14.42 seconds in 110-meter hurdles) was the lone UL men’s track athlete to win a running event. Freshman Zach France was second in the 10,000-meter run (32:28.25).

 

UL junior Kail Kidd (10:37.98, unattached) and freshman Chase Menard (10:51.62) finished second and third, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

 

Kelvan Turner, Sean Ruth, Justin Jones and Stacey Fuller were third in the 4×100-meter relay (42.3 seconds). Ruth (tight hamstrings) and Fuller (pulled hamstring) both got hurt, joining a list of injured Cajuns that already included Roderick Houston (broken foot), Joey Wynn (Achilles’ problem) and Louis Stevens (unknown).
Woodard was fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at 58.53 seconds. Jeffrey Vidacovich won the decathlon, while Wes Gonzales was second.

 

“I think it was a pretty good meet overall,” said Thibeaux, the reigning Sun Belt indoor triple jump champion. “We’ve been working hard. It could have gone a little better, but we’re still working on a lot of things.”

 

On the women’s side, the Cajuns placed first in the 4×400-meter relay as April Colomb, Gabrielle Augustine, Paula Parker and Abigail Jenkins at 4:01.63. Colomb was also first in the 800-meters (2:20.40).

Katie Roland and Jena Picou ended up first (12:14.41) and second (12:42.98), respectively in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The 4×100-meter relay team of Jasmine Anderson, Deanna Alfred, Krystal Chevis and Alexis Malone was second at 46.59 seconds.

 

Kirsten Meche finished second in the javelin at 44.23 meters, and Malone was third in the 100-meters at 12.11 seconds. Picou and Ashley Faulk were second (39:50.78) and third (40:00.06), respectively, in the 10,000-meters.

 

Anderson also won the heptathlon. The Cajuns compete next weekend at the UL/South Alabama Duel meet in Mobile, Ala.

 

“We’re getting better in the women’s events, but we’re not balanced like we want to be,” Mahfouz said. “Jasmine Anderson was a bright spot. Alexis Malone was another bright spot. Our 4×100 and 4×400 relays ran well.”

 

Hollis Conway – a former high jump national champion, six-time All-American, two-time Olympic medalist, UL Hall of Fame member and current American indoor record-holder – was one of the many past Cajun track athletes to return to Lafayette.
Conway was able to see his two oldest daughters, Tarvia and Holli, compete on Friday for Ouachita Parish High School in the Louisiana Classics at UL.

 

Tarvia, who is being recruited by the Cajuns, won the long jump (17 feet, 1.5 inches) and triple jump (35 feet, 1.5 inches). Holli was third in the high jump at 4 feet, 8 inches.
“They definitely had some fun,” said Hollis Conway, who now works as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes area director in Northeast Louisiana. “It was not only fun to be here for the reunion but also to see them compete on this track.”

 

John McDonnell, a former Cajuns All-American in track and cross country, also came back for the reunion.

 

McDonnell retired from University of Arkansas in 2008 after leading the school to a combined 42 national championships and 83 conference titles over 36 years in indoor and outdoor track and cross country.

 

Returning to his alma mater this weekend was an easy decision for McDonnell, a native of Ireland.

 

“I owe everything that I’ve done to this university,” McDonnell said. “The people here gave me the opportunity to go out into the world and pursue coaching. That never would have happened if I didn’t get a scholarship to come here in the first place.”

 

McDonnell believes that the future is bright for the Cajuns under Mahfouz, who helped the men finish third at the Sun Belt Conference indoor meet in February and was named the Sun Belt men’s coach of the year. That’s an improvement from a seventh-place showing at the league’s indoor meet from the previous year.
In his mind, Saturday’s results were another example of UL’s continued forward progress on the track.

 

“He will get it done,” McDonnell said. “He has a lot of people that are backing him up here. He just needs to take his time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It will happen.”

This weekend is also a reunion for UL’s track and field program as more than 150 former student-athletes are expected to attend the meet. That includes five former national champions, 17 All-Americans, 10 members of the UL Hall of Fame.

Some of the familiar names set to be on campus are former Cajun All-American and legendary University of Arkansas head coach John McDonnell, two-time Olympic high jumper Hollis Conway and reigning U.S. indoor triple jump national champion Lawrence Willis.

McDonnell, former UL and LSU assistant coach Boo Schexnayder and ex-UL head coach and Arkansas assistant and current Florida assistant Dick Booth are also scheduled to attend. All three have coached in the Olympics.

Roy hopes to meet the program’s former pole vault record-holder Lon Badeaux, who set the school record by clearing 17 feet, 7 inches back on Feb. 25, 1996. Roy broke that mark after jumping 17 feet, 7.25 inches to place first at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 27 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

"It’s going to be great to meet the guys that were here before us," Roy said. "I don’t know a lot of them, so it’s going to nice to hang out and talk with them about their experiences here."