Senior thrower Jimmy LeBlanc claimed second in the shot put
and hammer throw at the SLC Championships. 
Le Souvenir / Kelonda Dixon

This past weekend, the Lions and Lady Lions track & field team members travelled to Texas to take part in the Southland Conference Championships.

Starting on Friday, May 6 and concluding on Sunday, May 8, both the men’s and women’s teams finished by placing fifth with 60 points and seventh with 57 points in Corpus Christi, Texas. 

On the first day of the championships, both teams excelled in the hammer throw. Senior throwers Jermisha Frazier and Jimmy LeBlanc both finished second and senior thrower Austin Funk finished in fourth place. Frazier threw 202-06, nearly breaking a stadium record. LeBlanc threw 187 feet, 6 inches for a career-best. Funk also added to his personal bests, throwing at 178-11. 

In the long jump, freshman jumper Rodney Ruffin also added a personal best, jumping at 23-10.75 and finishing seventh. Junior multis Steven Barze finished eighth at 23-06. 

In the javelin, senior Nicole Delesdernier finished fifth with a throw of 139-11 while setting a stadium record. 

In the pole vault, three of the Lady Lions finished in the top seven, senior pole vaulter Sharon Ann Ourso placed fourth at 12-01.5, junior pole vaulter Whitney Adams placed sixth at 11-07.75 and senior pole vaulter Addison Martinez placed seventh at 11-07.75.

At the end of the first day, through five events, the women’s team finished fifth overall while through three events, the men’s team finished third overall. 

Reflecting back on her placing in hammer throw, Frazier felt less than satisfied, but remains hopeful. 

“It was bittersweet,” said Frazier. “It was a pretty rough comp for me, but I managed to put one out there on my last throw. Although I didn’t win conference, I still have regionals and hopefully nationals to look forward to.” 

On the second day of the event, junior sprinter and jumper Sharrona Williams surpassed all other competitors in the 100 meters, finishing for first place in 11.53 seconds and setting a personal record. LeBlanc and Frazier also both finished second in shot put. LeBlanc finished at 55-10.25. With determination, Frazier set a stadium record at 49 feet, 9.25 inches in her final throw and after falling in the ring. In the 3,000 steeplechase, sophomore distance runner Clarissa Smith broke the stadium record at 11:31.33 and place seventh. In the 400,  junior sprinter Maverick Bowleg finished fourth with a career-best of 47.66 while freshman sprinter Dekayta Alex finished seventh at 56.21 and senior sprinter Domonique White finished ninth at 56.53. In the 400 hurdles, junior sprinter and hurdler Dwayne Woodard finished eighth at 54.24. In the 200, freshman sprinter and jumper Aareion Jackson finished ninth at 24.54 while also setting a personal record. Junior sprinter Deandre Henderson finished 10th at 21.63 in the 200 as well. Junior sprinter Lekisha Jelks finished ninth at 2:18.17 in the 800. In the triple jump, junior jumper Julian Maze finished 11th at 48-01.25.

At the end of the second day, through eight events, the men’s team finished fifth overall, while through ten events, the women’s team finished sixth overall. 

Frazier, even with her fall in the shot put ring, did not want to slack.

“I was in fourth place going into the last round,” said Frazier. “Although I haven’t been focusing on shot much this season, there was no way that I could be the 2015 defending champion that didn’t make the podium in 2016. This was supposed to be my last time throwing shot ever. I couldn’t let myself finish without a bang. I must admit, this was the hardest I’ve ever worked for a mark in shot put and I believe the throw showcases that.”

On the final day, in the pole vault, sophomore pole vaulter Devin King finished first at 17 feet, 8.5 inches and breaking a stadium record, added another achievement to add to his already lengthy list of career achievements. In the 100 meters, Sharrona Williams finished second at 11.46 seconds. In the 4×400 relay, Woodard, Henderson, junior middle distance runner Alex Holden and Bowleg, finished in third place and broke the stadium record at 3 minutes, 13.32 seconds. In the 4×100 relay, Henderson, Bowleg, senior sprinter Raheem Brown and senior sprinter and jumper Kadarius Williams placed fourth at 41.28. In the 400, Bowleg finished fourth by making a personal best and stadium record of 47.44. In the high jump, senior jumper Clarence Robinson finished fourth after clearing 6-09.5 while Ruffin finished seventh at 6-05.5 and Barze at eighth at 6-05.5. Breaking a stadium record in the 4×100 relay, Sharrona Williams, freshman sprinter Jaslyn Bowman, junior sprinter Kaelynn Smith and Jackson finished at 46.10. By finishing fourth at 3:44.9 in the 4×400 relay, Alex, freshman sprinter Ariane Williams, Jelks and White also broke the stadium record. To conclude the SLC championships, the women’s team finished seventh overall while the men’s team finished fifth overall. 

Adding yet another achievement from the championships, King continues to strive for the best as he continues his career. 

“I came in ranked well up there and I knew if I trained hard enough, then I’d sure be able to finish on top,” said King. “That’s what I did and the plan worked. Sophomore year indoor conference champ and outdoor couldn’t have went any better. To be able to say that I’m a Conference Outdoor Champion, it feels good.” 

Looking back on the overall Southland Conference Championships, Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach Sean Brady felt that the team met their expectations. 

“I felt that we had a pretty good meet, not a great meet, but a good meet,” said Brady. “We kind of scored the meet going in and the score chart held pretty true, almost to the number. For the people that we brought to this competition, I felt really good about it.”