HOUSTON – The Southeastern Louisiana University track & field team got silver medal-winning performances from Gabriel Lim in the javelin throw and Gerrit Visser in the hammer throw while three other Lions earned spots in Finals on day one of the 2025 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday at the Wendel D. Ley Track & Holloway Field on the campus of Rice University.
 
Southeastern's first medal of the day came in the day's first event after the multis, the men's hammer throw. Visser's first throw went 57.21 meters (187'8"), a mark which had him in the lead through the first two rounds and kept him on the medal stand through the remainder of the competition and earned him a second place finish as well as eight points for the Lions in the team competition.
 
Lim was the next Lion to compete in the javelin throw, and he picked a good day to reset his personal best. His second throw of the competition went 64.84 meters (212'8"), setting a new career longest throw, a mark which kept him in the silver medal position throughout the remainder of the throws and earned the SLU men another eight points in the team competition. That throw also moved him into 33^rd place on the NCAA East Region performance list, which puts him in line to potentially earn an invite to the NCAA East First Round.
 
The Lions of the field earned two more points on the day in the pole vault competition. Trey Faherty cleared 4.48 meters (14'8.25"), which was good enough to earn him a seventh place finish and two more points for Southeastern in the men's team competition.
 
On a day full of preliminary races on the track, three Lions earned their way to Saturday's Finals.
 
The first Southeastern track athlete to book a spot in a Final was Esther Nwanze in the 400-meter hurdles. Looking to upgrade her silver medal from 2024 into a gold in 2025, the school record holder in the discipline cruised to Saturday's championship by being the lone racer to break one minute, stopping the clock in 59.21 seconds in the fourth, and final, prelim heat, winning her heat by four and a half seconds and was just more than two seconds faster than the next fastest time from all four prelims.
 
SLU's next athlete to earn a spot on Championship Saturday was Olu Ogunyemi, also in the 400-meter hurdles. He took third place in the fourth, and final, heat of the prelims, crossing the line in 52.65 seconds. That time was the seventh-fastest among all four heats, earning him a spot in the Final on time.
 
Marvellous Asemota was the final Lion to earn a spot in Saturday's track finals, earning her way to the last eight in the 200-meter dash. In the fifth heat of six, she was the first to cross the finish line, stopping the clock with a time of 24.12 seconds. That was the sixth-fastest time among all six heats, earning her a chance to run for the Conference Championship.
 
At the end of the first day of competition, the Lions have 18 points and sit in fifth place in the team standings. The Lady Lions have points in waiting from their two track qualifiers, but are yet to officially score in the competition.
 
Day two of the 2025 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships starts at 2 p.m. on Friday with the completion of the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. Single events on Friday start at 3 p.m. with the men's shot put and long jump while the action on the track starts at 5:15 p.m. with the women's 100-meter hurdles, followed by the men's 110-meter hurdles.
 
The final two days of the 2025 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, taking place at the Wendel D. Ley Track & Holloway Field on the campus of Rice University will be televised on ESPN+ with live results available through the SLC and Athletic Live.
 
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.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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