Event Schedule
 
Event Rankings
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Louisiana track team will compete in the Southland Conference Indoor Championships Sunday and Monday at the Birmingham Crossplex.
 
The SLU has several student-athletes at or near the top of the Southland Conference rankings going in the weekend in the field events including Devin King (pole vault), D.J. Ruffin (long jump), Stevon Crooks (shot put), Grant O'Callaghan (one-mile) and Adam Cortez (5000m) for the men and Ashley Davis (shot put), Alexia Stein (shot put and weight throw)
 
"The men's competition is very competitive this year," said second-year SLU head track Coach Corey Mistretta. "The parity in the Southland Conference is very good this year, which should make for an exciting meet. The women's competition is a little different and I believe all of us are chasing a very strong Stephen F Austin team. Coach (Matt) Tholis and Coach (Rocky) Capello are both very excited about what their groups are prepared to do this weekend. If we can help out with some points from the sprints, jumps and hurdles, we should have a positive experience."
 
King, a Kentwood, Louisiana native, has the best vault of the season in the Southland. The senior jumped 18 feet, 5.5 inches at the Tyson Invitational Feb. 8 to earn the top spot going into the weekend. King's teammate, Riccardo Klotz, also find himself near the top of the pole vault rankings with 17-1.75 mark at the LSU Twilight Feb. 15, good enough for fifth in the conference.
 
Ruffin, a Gautier, Mississppi product, leads the conference in the long jump with a mark of 25-0.75 at the Tyson Invitational. The senior has won the long jump three times this indoor season including at the LSU Bayou Bengal Invitational Feb. 1, McNeese II Jan. 25 and the Arkansas Invitational Jan. 11.
 
Crooks, a Westmoreland, Jamaica native, has a mark of 56-4.5 when he won the LSU Twilight in the shot put (third in the Southland).
 
O'Callaghan continues the list of top rankings for the men. The Flowery Branch, Georgia native set a school record in the one-mile at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Massachusetts with a blistering 4:07.34; over three seconds faster than anyone in the conference. The junior is also ranked fourth in the 800m (1:54.46 – LSU Twilight) and sixth in the 3000m with an 8:25.52
 
Cortez, an El Paso, Texas product, is ranked second in the 5000m. The sophomore set the mark at David Hemery Valentine Invitational running a 15:26. 10
 
The Lions sprinters could make some noise as well. Cliff Resias (4^th) and Donovan Storr (6^th) are ranked near the top in the 200m in the Southland standings. Resias ran a 21.42 at the KMS Invitational while Storr ran 21.47 at the Tyson Invitational.
 
Storr, a junior from Nassau, Bahamas, also has the sixth best time in the 400m (48.03)
 
The men's 4x400 relay team, ranked second in the Southland, of Ruffin, Storr, Resias and Tahrike Jones is also poised to make a good run after a 3:13.46 at the LSU Twilight.
 
Davis highlights the women's team with her top ranking in the shot put. The Watson, Louisiana native, set the mark winning the LSU Twilight with a throw of 51-0.75. The junior got the victory at the KMS Invitational and LSU Bayou Bengal.
 
Alexia Stein will battle with Davis for the shot put as well. The Baldwin, Missouri native, had the third best throw in the conference with a 48-11.75 while also making a splash in the weight throw at the LSU Twilight. The senior is ranked fifth in the weight throw going into Saturday with a throw of 55-11.
 
"We've been training since September and we finally get to go put it all on the line to see where we stand up against the rest of the Southland Conference, said Mistretta. "Both teams are very excited to compete tomorrow in hopes of making finals and (or) contributing to the team by scoring points. I am especially excited to see how Grant O'Callaghan is going to perform. He, along with a few others, have been battling some flu symptoms this week, so we hope they will be up to the challenge. DJ Ruffin is a guy who has requested to do whatever we need of him this weekend. We love going to battle with guys like him. I'm looking forward to some exciting things from him. Cliff Resias is competing for the very last time in a Southeastern uniform and he is prepared to leave it all on the track. Devin King is competing in his last conference championship before heading to the NCAA Championship in a couple of weeks and he is hoping to finish on top. It should be really fun to watch the guys compete. The women have been improving weekly and they are very confident going into the championships. We have a few seniors (Dekayta Alex, Aareion Jackson, Clarissa Smith, and Alexia Stein) who are competing in their last indoor championships and they want to go out with a bang. I'm excited to see them compete like the champions they are."
 
Live Results for the event will be available at the Southland Conference Website.
 
PODIUM CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the track and field program are encouraged to join the Podium Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Podium Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern track and field program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
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