April 2, 2005

Results

HOUSTON - For the second time in as many weeks, the Lamar men's and women's track and field teams recorded over a dozen top ten finishes, as the Cardinals and Lady Cardinals competed at the 23rd Annual Bayou Classic Friday and Saturday in the Rice Track/Soccer Stadium.

A total of fifteen LU athletes recorded top 10 showings, including seven in the top five of their respective events. The women's team earned a 12th place finish, while the men wrapped up 13th in a talented 22-team field, which included the University of Texas, Houston, Miami, Texas A&M, Syracuse and Harvard.

Senior Trenton Price earned the lone individual title for the Cardinals as he raced to the top spot in the 400 meters. The Arlington native blazed around the track in a time of 47.46 for his second sub 48-second time in as many meets. Teammate Damien Broomes also ran well in the same race, securing 15th with a time of 48.96.

Port Neches product Jake Champagne continued his impressive 2005 campaign by posting a personal record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:51.30 for third place. His time, which ranks first among the Southland Conference, was just over a second shy of topping Syracuse's Valerij Petrulevich who won the race.

Freshman Michael Gauthier also had a good day in the sprints, notching a pair of top 10 finishes. The Bridge City native grabbed 10th in the 100 with a time of 10.86, before racking up a personal record in the 200 meters with the SLC's third-best time of 21.58. Teammate Jeremy Norris ran a season-best in the 200 with a time of 22.47.

In the sprint hurdles, freshman Stephen Boone posted a pair of solid outings in the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. The Nassau Bay native raced to a collegiate-best time of 54.11 in the quarter-mile event, while clocking a 16.56 in the 100-hurdle race. Teammate Quincy Parker ran LU's top time of the day, placing second in the 400-hurdles with a time of 53.66.

In relay action, the men's 4X100-meter team raced to a season-best time of 42.11 and a 10th-place finish.

The women's performances were highlighted by a pair of standout showings from Candace Taylor and Toni Sylvester. Taylor, a senior from League City, ran the conference's fastest time of the season in the 800 meters with an outstanding 2:14.05. Sylvester, a sophomore from Sour Lake, started off by setting a personal record in the 200 with the SLC's second fastest time of 24.81. She then placed fifth in the 400 by clocking a 55.72, before anchoring the women's 4X100-meter relay.

Sylvester helped the relay team to a season-best time of 47.47 and a fifth-place finish. She was joined on the relay unit by Corlis Burrell, Rosalyn Capps and Jessika Johnson. Johnson, a freshman from Humble, also nabbed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.55.

On Friday, Lamar had several athletes participate in the 1,500-meter run. Amber Prather led the women's team with ninth-place finish in a season-best time of 4:49.20. Danny Shaw was the men's top runner in the event, posting a fourth-place showing with the SLC's third-best time of 3:58.55. Junior Britney Fesco also notched fifth in the javelin on Friday, with a throw of 128-11, which ranks as her second-best toss of the season.

The LU track and field teams return to action next week as they travel to Austin to take part in the 77th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Competition begins on Wednesday with the multi-events and continues through Saturday.