HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's and women's track & field teams began the 2026 outdoor season at the Southeastern Track Complex for the Andy Thiel Season Opener Saturday.
 
The Lions and Lady Lions posted nine first-place finishes in Saturday's meet. Breanna Becerra claimed the first event victory with a 57.77 time in the 400-meter dash. Daniel Atinaya earned a first-place finish on the track, recording a 200-meter dash of 21.71.
 
Jaydan Jackson notched the first win of the day on the field, posting a 43.44-meter distance in the women's hammer throw. Gerrit Visser took first in the men's hammer throw with a toss of 60.27 meters. Josh-Ty Brown won the shot put, reaching a distance of 16.59 meters. Porter Gibson's discus throw of 51.39 meters earned him first place in the event.
 
Julia Jenkins won back-to-back events Saturday, recording a long jump of 5.58 meters, before posting a high jump of 1.65 meters. Trey Faherty claimed a win in the men's pole vault, reaching a 4.26-meter height to cap off SLU's day of nine event wins.
 
The Southeastern track and field programs will make the trip to Baton Rouge, La., for the LSU Opener at Bernie Moore Track Stadium, Saturday, Mar. 21. The meet will begin at 9:30 a.m.
 
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
For more information on Southeastern Track and Field, follow @LionUpTrack on X and Instagram.