Freshman javelin thrower Charlotte Wissing hit the mark of 150-10 in her first collegiate meet. Nikisun Shrestha/The Lion's Roar
The university’s track and field team opened their outdoor schedule for the spring season as they hosted the Tulane Early Bird Twilight.
The meet took place on Friday, March 2. Head Coach Corey Mistretta gave his assessment of the team’s performance.
“I am very happy with the results from our first meet,” said Mistretta. “It was exciting to be able to open up at home. We had a very limited crew competing because we are still recovering from the Indoor Conference Championships. That being said, everyone competed very well, and we had some outstanding performances. We had a couple of outstanding performances at the Tulane meet that should be mentioned as well. Freshmen throwers Vigdis Jonsdottir and Charlotte Wissing had big performances and positioned themselves very well to be possible regional qualifiers.”
Mistretta explained the process that resulted in Southeastern Track Complex hosting the meet.
“This meet was originally scheduled for Tad Gormley Stadium at City Park in New Orleans,” said Mistretta. “However, there was a scheduling conflict with the stadium and Tulane University who was going to be the host there. Coach Peterson from Tulane contacted me about the conflict and to discuss possible alternatives. At that time, I offered our facility for them if he wanted to move the meet to Hammond. He spent some time discussing things with his administration as I did here, and we were able to work something out.”
Senior pole vaulter Devin King was one of eight winners for the track and field team. He matched his school record and personal best with a height of 18 feet, 8.25 inches.
“My performance today was a success,” said King. “It’s my first outdoor meet this year. I did great with 18’8”, which is a qualification for regionals. We were treating these first three weeks like it was an off-season training and trying to get into the real shape before the competition later on in the season.”
Mistretta praised the efforts of King during the meet.
“Devin’s performance was outstanding,” said Mistretta. “This is just another example of why he is one of the best vaulters in the country. He didn’t let the change in schedule or small competition field affect him. He is a true competitor and is able to focus on the task at hand no matter the circumstance. We are very excited about what this outdoor season, his last, has in store for him and for the Lion Nation.”
Mistretta gave his thoughts on how the team is poised going into the outdoor season.
“We are still a long way away from where we will need to be in May,” said Mistretta. “However, both teams remain highly motivated to improve each day in training, and we are expecting positive results to follow as we improve in all areas.”
King described how he plans to conclude his last season as a part of the track and field team.
“I’ll try to be consistent around 18’8,” said King. “I’m gonna try to get 19 feet, add nationals over four nationals. That’s my goal for the season. It’s to jump at least 19 feet. I feel good about my last outdoor season as a Southeastern Lion.”
The Lions will travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana to participate in the McNeese Bob Hayes Invite on March 10. Mistretta described his plans for the event.
“We will be bringing full squads to McNeese this Saturday,” said Mistretta. “This will be a relay meet with limited individual events on the track. However, we are very excited to see where we are across the board. As a team, we will train through this meet, then scale back a little before the meet at ULL the following weekend.”
