The Southeastern Men’s and Women’s track team recently competed in the LSU Twilight indoor competition, then traveled to the Southland Conference Indoor Championships, with the men coming in eighth and the women in ninth.

Graduate student Shannon Grover beat the competition at the conference championships, taking the title for the men’s 200-meter dash.  At the LSU Twilight, he placed fifth overall in the 60-meter dash, with a time of 6.82 seconds in the final heat.

“It’s been good. It depends on what perspective you’re looking at,” said head coach Sean Brady at the LSU Twilight event at the Carl Maddox Field House. “This is a season we have few seniors and upperclassmen, but those that are upperclassmen are just having an outstanding year.  They’re doing everything we expected them to do coming into the year.”

Others who performed well at the conference championships were senior Michelle Ogashi, placing first in the women’s triple jump, junior Brittany Pfantz came in first, setting a Southeastern record in women’s pole vault, with a height of 4.00 meters, and the relay team of Grover, sophomore T.J. Herbert, freshman Shaquell Windley and junior Abram Taylor, who placed second in the 4×400-yard relay.

During the LSU Twilight competition, Ogashi placed third in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump.  Joseph Lagrange came in fourth place in the men’s 3000 meter run. The same team that came in second place in the indoor championships also came in second place at LSU. Pfantz came in second place in the women’s pole vault, measuring 3.83 meters.

“The intensity is very high,” said Brady. “You come to a meet like this, some of our kids are lined up next to former Olympians and medalists, some of the best people in the world, not just the best people in Louisiana.  It’s a little bit overwhelming for some, yet once we have a few more of these experiences, we’ll come out on the other side and we’re going to be in a good position.”

Brady also spoke about anticipation for the Southeastern Invitational, to be held on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at the new track facilities.

“You can’t believe the enthusiasm that this meet is generating, not just among our team members, but our past teams that we recruited to come to Southeastern on the promise that we would eventually have our own facility,” said Brady. “And now to see it come to fruition, I literally get phone calls and emails everyday from people that want to be a part of this, part of the experience, who want to have a reunion, who want to be officials and some of the older guys who want to come back and run.”

Brady continued, expressing his and the teams’ desire to make the meet the best that it could be for the fans.

“We’re excited about the prospects of seeing this meet to be an annual event and to have a place to call home, a place where our athletes can showcase their talents in front of the rest of the student body,” said Brady.