Day One Recap | Day Two Recap

HOUSTON, Texas – Slavko Stevic picked up his third-straight outdoor high jump conference championship while Esther Nwanze broke a 10-year-old school record in the 400-meter hurdles as the Southeastern Louisiana University track and field team ended its run in the 2024 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday at the Wendel D. Ley Track & Holloway Field on the campus of Rice University.
 
Stevic picked up his sixth Southland Conference championship in the high jump, three in outdoor and three in indoor, as he was the lone competitor to clear 2.12 meters (6'11.5") to take home the gold medal and earn 10 more points for the Lions in the team competition. He now turns his attention to the NCAA East Regional Championship, looking to qualify for the NCAA Nationals for the second-straight season.
 
Terrell Webb looked to add more hardware to his hammer throw gold medal as he took part in the discus throw competition. He would come home in fifth place in the event with his fourth toss of the day being his longest, as well as a new personal best, reaching 51.06 meters (167'6") to earn the team four more points on the overall scoreboard.
 
Stan Hamilton added three more points for the Lions in the triple jump as his longest leap came in his sixth, and last, attempt, going 14.76 meters (48'5") to earn him a sixth-place finish in the standings.
 
SLU's final points in the field came from Gabriel Lim as the freshman's best toss in the javelin throw competition was his third which traveled 58.75 meters (192'9"), earning him a bronze medal and the Lions six more points in the team competition.
 
All of the points that the Lady Lions scored on the day came on the track. It started in the 400-meter dash as Onyah Favour bettered the personal best she set just a day before, completing her run in the finals with a time of 53.51 seconds to come in fourth place and score five points for SLU.
 
Also in the 400-meter dash, the men's team added nine more points to its total on the legs of Javon-Taye Williams and Victory Achakpoekri. Williams took home the bronze medal, finishing third with a personal best time of 47.14 seconds for six points while Achakpoekri came home in sixth to score three points for the Lions with a time of 47.94 seconds.
 
The 800-meter run garnered the Lions seven more points in the team competition as Noah Kiprotich and Tim Anstett both earned points in the final. Kiprotich came home in fifth place in a time of 1:54.93 to earn four points while Anstett finished right behind him in sixth in a time of 1:56.46 for three points.
 
Then came the historic moment for Nwanze, one she's been chasing since the season began, the school record in the 400-meter hurdles. Nwanze raced to the finish line in a time of 57.52 seconds, faster than the Southeastern record of 58.07 seconds set at the 2014 SLC Outdoor Championships by Alicia Noel. However, it would take a SLC Championships-record breaking performance to deny Nwanze of gold as she would take the silver medal home while earning eight points for the Lady Lions.
 
On the men's side of the 400-meter hurdles, Olu Ogunyemi earned four more points for the Lions as he continued his return from injury and raced home to a fifth-place finish in the final, crossing the line in 53.32 seconds.
 
SLU's final points of the event came in the 4x400-meter relays. On the women's side, the squad of Favour, Nwanze, Miriam Kauer, and Immaculate Danial raced home to a fourth-place finish in a time of 3:45.10 for five points. The men's team of Williams, Achakpoekri, Josh Anding, and Monte Parker also crossed the finish line in fourth place, coming home in 3:10.17 for five points to wrap up the 2024 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships.
 
The Southeastern men finished the event with 70 points to finish in sixth in the team standings while the women accumulated 28 points for a ninth-place finish.
 
Now the Lions await the official release of participants for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships East First Round. SLU athletes which are tentatively in the top-48 of athletes from schools in the East region and would qualify for the First Round meet, pending the results of other conference championships, include Stevic (high jump), Lance Hamilton (triple jump), Donroy Brown (shot put), Webb (hammer throw), Lim (javelin throw), and Nwanze (400-meter hurdles).
 
The NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships East First Round will run May 22^nd-25^th in Lexington, Kent. at the University of Kentucky Outdoor Track & Field Facility. It will be live streamed on ESPN+ with live results available through the host institution.
 
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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