RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech's men's and women's track teams are set to compete in the 2021 Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This year's outdoor championships will run from May 13-16 at Middle Tennessee's Dean A. Hates Track & Soccer Stadium.
The four-day championships will begin on Thursday, May 13, with day one of the heptathlon and decathlon. Lady Techster
Johannon Murray will represent LA Tech in the heptathlon to mark Tech's first competitor in the C-USA outdoor championships since 2019. This past season's outdoor championships were canceled due to COVID-19.
Day two will begin with the women's hammer throw at 2 p.m. Friday's schedule comprises eight total events, including the second and final day of events for the heptathlon and decathlon.
Saturday and Sunday, days three and four of the four-day championships, will include a full schedule of events. The women's discus throw will kick things off on Saturday at 1 p.m., while the women's shot put will open the final day of the championships on Sunday at 1 p.m.
"With the loss of last outdoor season and then this year having two rainouts out of six meets outdoors, it's been a pretty strange 14 months," head coach
Gary Stanley said. "However, I think our athletes are really excited about competing.
"I'm excited about seeing all of our student-athletes compete, and we've got some people who are practicing so well right now. I hope we see some people move up from where they're currently sitting at compared to other conference marks."
Meet Information
Dates: May 13-16
Venue/Location: Dean A. Hates Track & Soccer Stadium (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Live Results: LINK
Meet Schedule: LINK
Championship Central: LINK
Recapping the 2021 C-USA Indoor Championships
- Claudasha Watson and Sydney Anderson led the way for the Lady Techsters with third-place finishes in the 60-meter dash and high jump, respectively. Watson recorded a time of 7.59 seconds to make the medal stand and score six points for her squad. Anderson posted a mark of 1.69 meters (5'-06") in the high jump to also tally six points for the Techsters.
- On the men's side, field athletes Johnie Jean-Jacques and Murphy Bavinga each placed fourth in their respective events. Jean-Jacques notched a throw of 15.85 meters (52'-00") to record five points for the Bulldogs. Bavinga also registered five points for the 'Dogs with a mark of 14.75 meters (48'-04.75") in the triple jump. Bavinga's teammate Javion Canna placed eighth in the triple jump with a jump of 13.20 meters (43'-03.75").
- Seth Boullion finished fifth in the men's 400-meter finals with a time of 48.68, shaving off 42 hundredths of a second from his time in the prelims. Boullion, along with Nolan Walker, Mason Melancon and Gerard Sapena, also helped the men's 4x400-meter relay team place fourth with a time of 3:20.65.
Rhea Thompson followed up her fifth-place finish in the women's weight throw on Saturday with a fifth-place mark in the shot put. Thompson's throw sailed 14.27 meters (46'-10").
- Johannon Murray finished sixth overall in the women's pentathlon with a school record total of 3,382 points, winning the event's 60-meter portion with a time of 8.99 seconds. Murray also recorded a top-five finish in pentathlon 800-meter dash and a sixth-place mark in the pentathlon shot put.
- LA Tech finished eighth in the men's team rankings, while the women's squad placed 11th.
For complete coverage of Louisiana Tech's track and field program, please follow @LATechTFXC on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.
