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Adonson Shallow
Randy Bergeron / Southeastern Louisiana University

Track & Field

Southeastern Track Ready for Run at Conference Crown

Lions, Lady Lions look to take on the field at SLC Championships

Adonson Shallow will try to help the Lions to their first-ever SLC crown.
HAMMOND - As the Southeastern Louisiana University men's and women's track and field teams prepare for the 2009 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, head coach Sean Brady is hoping that his teams' habit of showing up when the stakes are highest continues.

"Historically, we've done very well at these meets," Brady said.  "We tend to show up in pressure situations, and that's a credit to the members of our coaching staff as well as our kids.  We apply subtle pressure to our kids all year to make sure they understand the significance of the conference meet, and the kids focus their training all year so that they can peak for this meet.  If that trend continues, there's no reason we can't make a run at this thing."

The Lions enter the three-day weekend championship meet in unfamiliar territory as the favorite squad on paper going in.  If awarded points based on the best performances in the SLC to-date, the Lions would edge Texas-Arlington and three-time defending champion Texas-San Antonio for the SLC crown.

However, the Lions are aware that titles are not won on paper.  Southeastern posted its best ever finish at the SLC Outdoor Championships with a second-place title last season.  However, the runner-up honor was bittersweet as the Lions entered the second half of the final day in first place, only to watch a trio of Roadrunner sprinters take the top three spots in both the 100 m dash and 200 m dash for a dramatic late rally to edge the Lions for first place by just nine points.

This year, the Lions will look to finish the job and come out on top in what is expected to be another hotly-contested conference meet.

Southeastern is led by junior thrower Adonson Shallow and classmate decathlete Cory Roberts.  Shallow, a three-time 2009 SLC Athlete of the Week and three-time 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional Qualifier will be counted on to supply points in the throws events.  Meanwhile, Roberts will be looking to score in the decathlon as well as the javelin and pole vault.

Other Lions that will be counted on to finish near the top of their events and provide big point totals will be junior Adlus Wiltz (400 m hurdles), junior Damian Manning (110 m hurdles), sophomore Shannon Grover (100 m dash, 200 m dash, 400 m dash), sophomores Kalphys Kemboi, Henry Rop and Nelphat Boit (5K, 10K, 3K Steeplechase) and the Lions 4x100 m and 4x400 m relay squads. 

"We need to stay healthy and catch some breaks, but if that happens, there is no reason we can't win this thing," Brady said.  "Our guys know how close they are.  They know what they are capable of, and they are hungry heading into this weekend.  We'll be trying to run people in lots of different events to try to get every point we can, because every point is going to matter."

On the women's side, Brady is hoping a young Lady Lion squad can continue rebuilding.  With the traditional Texas powerhouse programs expected to run away with the title once again, Brady hopes a team comprised of 14 freshmen and sophomores can improve on their eighth-place finish at last year's meet and make a run at the program's best-ever league championship meet finish (6th in 2000).

"Our women's side is very young," Brady said.  "But our girls have worked hard all year, and we're proud of how they have progressed.  We need everyone to show up this weekend, but we've been surprised by some of our girls this year.  If we continue to compete the way we have been, we have a chance of posting our best finish ever at this meet."

The Lady Lions will be led by senior Roseann Bell.  The Ponchatoula native enters the weekend second in the conference in the women's long jump and will be counted on to try to provide points in the 100 m and 200 m dash.  Meanwhile, junior thrower Yvette Schubert enters the weekend third in the SLC in the javelin and will look to defend her 2008 crown in that event.

Among the Southeastern underclassmen looking to make a name for themselves in their first trip to the SLC title meet will be: freshman Michelle Ogashi (long jump and triple jump), freshman Lacey Sanchez (pole vault), freshman Erika Payton (100 m dash, 200 m dash).

The 2009 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships will begin on the morning of Friday May 8, 2009 and last through Sunday May 10, 2009.  Live results will be available online at www.LionSports.net and at www.Southland.org.   
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