Sun Belt Outdoor Track and Field Championships Home

ARLINGTON, Texas - The University of South Alabama men's and women's track and field program postseason action will commence with the start of the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championship on Friday hosted by league member Texas-Arlington.  

"The student-athletes have worked really hard," head track and field coach Paul Brueske said. "Now we just want them to focus and go out give it their best effort this weekend." 

The Jaguar women's program are the league's defending women's outdoor champions after winning the league meet last spring. It was the women's first outright Sun Belt championship, as South Alabama shared the title in 1999 with Louisiana Tech. Arkansas State holds the men's outdoor crown coming into this year's meet, as the Jaguars finished second behind the Red Wolves by 11.5 points.

Kaitlyn Beans has earned more all-league honors than any other member on the squad, finishing among the top three seven times over the last three-plus years, including accomplishing the feat by winning both the triple jump and long jump at the indoor championship in February. Beans was named the conference's women's indoor most outstanding women's field athlete of the year for that performance. This spring, the senior goes into the meet second in the league in the triple jump and 13th in the long jump.

Sean Collins enters the conference championship first in the league and tied for nineteenth in the nation after earning field athlete of the week last week for his performance to top his own season-best at the Southern Miss Open. The sophomore has won two out of the three conference championship pole vault events he has competed in. Collins came in second in his first league meet at the 2016 indoor Sun Belt Championship. Collins won the event in last spring and in February at the league meets. The sophomore bounced back this year from a season-ending injury that occurred after he won the league title in May to end his postseason run. 

Nine other individuals earned all-league accolades last spring at the SBC outdoor meet. That group included Jordan Friz in the women's pole vault, Ashley Heitling and Joanna McCoy in the women's 10,000, Michaela Preachuk in the women's hammer, Zach Blahnik in the men's hammer, Laura Labuschaigne in the women's 1,500m and Barbara Rivera, Jessica Matthews and Krisztina Szabo in the women's javelin.  

Labuschaigne also earned two all-league honors in February finishing third in both the women's mile and the women's 3,000m. Nathan Riech earned third-team league honors in the men's mile and collectively received first-team honors with Warno Potgieter, Ben Rolader and Larry Lombard after winning the men's 400-meter distance medley. 

Senior Lezyon Lagarde broke a school record in the men's triple jump at the indoor conference meet earning bronze for all-league honors as well. Emilie Berge earned her first all-league honors as a freshman after winning the Sun Belt's pentathlon in February. Jobi Finau also recieved all-league honors after placing second in the men's weight throw. 

South Alabama owns 24 of the league's top five spots in various events heading into the weekend. Three Jaguar individuals lead their events in the league, Collins (men's pole vault), Rivera (women's javelin) and Berge (heptathlon). 

"We just want all our student-athletes to do their best," Brueske said. "If they go out and do what they are capable of we will be alright."

The three-day meet will begin with the decathlon on Friday at 9 a.m. with the heptathlon to follow at 9:30 a.m. Field events will begin at 10 a.m. with the women's hammer and men's hammer at 12:30 p.m., followed by the men's and women's javelin, women's pole vault and men's and women's 10,000 meters.

All meet information including schedules, live results and records can be found on the Sun Belt's 2017 Outdoor Track and Field Championships home website. 

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub

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