MOBILE, Ala. – When Kaitlyn Beans and Renaldo Frechou arrived on the University of South Alabama campus, each wanted to make an immediate impact for the Jaguar track and field teams.  In their first season in Jaguar uniforms, both now have the opportunity to become All-Americans when they travel to Eugene, Ore., next week for the NCAA Division I National Championships. 
 
Beans became the first individual in the history of the men's or women's program to qualify for the national finals in any of the four jumping events – triple jump, long jump, high jump or pole vault – when she placed seventh in the women's triple jump at the East Region Preliminary Championships last week.  Additionally, she became the first freshman in Jag history to advance to the national meet.
 
While reaching such an elite level is impressive for a student-athlete in her first season of collegiate competition, Beans' performance is all the more remarkable due to the fact that she had never participated in the triple jump before joining the Jaguars.  A three-sport star at Brewbaker Technology High School in Montgomery, Ala., she is the owner of school records in the girls' long jump, high jump, 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.  But it wasn't until her arrival in Mobile that Beans was tested in the new event.
 
"I did a lot of things in high school and played three sports – volleyball, basketball and track," Beans said.  "I was a good high jumper and a good long jumper, and I was a decent sprinter.  So I think having experience in all of those things and the different aspects of different sports made it easier to pick up on the triple jump, which combines a lot of those elements.  My coaches here are great, and the triple jumpers that were already here have been really helpful along the way.  Without the support and guidance from coaches and teammates and without having a little bit of an athletic background, I wouldn't have had the success I've had up to this point."
 
Beans has come on especially strong in postseason competition, beginning last month at the Sun Belt Conference Championships, where she set a new school record in a gold-medal performance.  Her mark of 13.19m eclipsed the previous top jump for a Jaguar by more than four-tenths of a meter and topped her personal best by more than seven-tenths of a meter.  She nearly equaled that mark with a 13.18m leap at the regional meet, earning a top-12 finish and a spot in the national finals.  Despite her postseason success, Beans said that her freshman campaign has presented plenty of challenges.
 
"At the conference indoor meet, I really wanted to place in the top three and I ended up in fourth, so I was a little hurt," she recalled.  "And then outdoor came, and the first meet I had a huge PR and then it seemed like it was never going to happen again.  As the season went on, I just couldn't reach that mark again and kept falling short, and that was really frustrating.  I had the roughest time in those weeks leading up to conference, and I was scared because I thought I was never going to be able to get back up.  At that point, I told myself that I had nothing to lose and to go out there and do the best I can.  I think that's helped me a lot at these past two meets.
 
"I just happened to peak at the right time at the conference championships.  Then going into regionals, I thought I'd never have another jump like that again.  I was scared that that jump might have been a fluke.  So I was just hoping to do my best and try to get around 12.90m; I definitely did not expect to hit 13.18m, which was really close to what I had at conference.  So that made me realize that it wasn't a fluke and that maybe I know what I'm doing."
 
Like Beans, Frechou found success in his very first competition of the outdoor season.  The sophomore set the all-time Jaguar standard in the men's hammer throw in the first meet of his USA career at the Jaguar Opener in March, becoming the first in school history to eclipse the 60-meter mark with a 60.72m effort.  He would go on to break his own record five more times over the course of the season, steadily improving his top mark to 64.36m at the regional preliminaries.  He garnered five individual victories in the event over that span – including a gold medal at the SBC Championships – and never finished outside the top five until regional competition.
 
Asked what has contributed to his success throughout the season, the Paarl, South Africa, native said that the biggest key has been his mentality.
 
"I always look for ways to improve and never settle for something that is just good or just okay," said Frechou.  "If it is not great, it is not good enough.  So for me, consistent hard work and not giving up is the key, and I try to always stay positive even when things are going bad on the field and off.  I know even one negative thought can blind your focus and stop you from improving.  Staying positive has really helped me a great deal, and I owe a lot of my success to my family and friends for supporting and motivating me."
 
That positive attitude helped Frechou become just the second men's thrower in Jag history to qualify for the national finals, and the first in any men's event since 2007.
 
"I am honored; it feels surreal," he said.  "I think the fact that I am going to nationals is still sinking in, but I want to stay focused on the next task at hand, which is to do my best next week. The main goal I set for myself this season was to go to nationals, but I knew it would not be easy.  So what I did was set up small goals along the way, and each time I reached one I would make the next goal bigger; that has really helped me not think too much on the end goal and remain focused."
 
Beans said that she employed a similar strategy for herself in an effort to incrementally improve her jumps as the season moved forward.
 
"I set small goals for myself to try and boost my confidence, and I've accomplished all of them so far," she noted.  "Each time I reach one of those goals, I think to myself, 'Why not a little bit more?'  So I've just continued to try and step up to the next level each time out and knock on that next door."
 
"Both Kaitlyn and Renaldo have consistently improved throughout the season," said head track and field coach Paul Brueske.  "We have several younger individuals who are on the verge of doing really big things, but to have those two come in as underclassmen and make it this far is really impressive and says a lot about the future of this program and their futures individually.
 
"They both have very optimistic, positive attitudes, and above all they are extremely hard workers," he continued.  "Their work ethic is great; it's the biggest reason they're in the position that they're in right now.  We actually have to hold those two back sometimes so that they don't get carried away with overdoing it in training.  Because of the effort they've given all year, I think they both have a good shot at doing well at the NCAA Championships."
 
With the NCAA finals on the horizon, the Jaguar duo now seeks to join an elite club of five individuals in the program's history who have earned All-America honors – David Kimani (2000), Tonny Okello (2006, '07) and Vincent Rono (2006, '07) for the men, and Ajoke Odumosu (2007) and Lindsay Schwartz (2011, '12) on the women's side.  Should they finish among the top eight in their respective events next week, Beans and Frechou will add their names to that list.
 
"I don't really have a number in mind right now, but I really want to set a PR again and push my school record a little higher," Beans said.  "So if I can reach around 13.20m or 13.21m – somewhere in that range – hopefully that will put me in the top eight so that I can be the first All-American jumper for the school; that would be really exciting."
 
"I feel good about nationals; my technique is becoming more consistent and smooth with each workout, and my body feels good," said Frechou.  "My goals are to improve my personal best with each throw and then to be in the top eight and keep climbing.  I am really looking forward to this competition; there will be a lot of pressure to compete against such great talent, and I love such a challenge."
 
With a combined five more years of eligibility remaining after the 2014 campaign concludes, the future looks bright for the pair of newcomers and for their teams in the coming years.  But Beans and Frechou still have work to do this season.  After spending the spring climbing atop the school's record books, the pair will now look to cement their status in Jaguar history.
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
 
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