SFA Track and Field Opens 2016 Season at LSU
1/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
SFA at LSU Purple Tiger Invitational
Friday, January 8
Carl Maddox Field House • Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Meet Schedule/Heat Sheets • Live Results
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- The Stephen F. Austin track and field teams are set to begin the 2016 indoor season on Friday, traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the LSU Purple Tiger Invitational. The meet is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. from the Carl Maddox Field House.
After sweeping the indoor conference titles in 2015, the expectations are high once again for both the men's and women's teams entering the 2016 season. The `Jacks return nine individuals who won at least one SLC event title last year, several of which will be in action this weekend.
The men's weight throw will kick things off at 2:30 p.m. while the running events begin at 3:30 p.m. with the men's 60m hurdles. Running finals are set to start at 4:50 p.m. with the 4x800m relays and will run through the men's 4x400 meter relay at 9:05 p.m.
The Lumberjacks bring back a strong returning core of sprinters, including sophomores My'Lik Kerley, Tedrick Hawkins and Johnathan Joe and junior Will Gibson. Each athlete helped SFA win a quarter mile conference title between the indoor and outdoor seasons a year ago and qualified the event for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in May.
Joe, Hawkins and Kerley will team up with freshman D'Lance Sharp on one of SFA's three 4x400m relays while Gibson and All-SLC hurdler Kerry Gleason highlight the `Jacks second group.
Kerley will also tackle the 600m run starting at 6:00 p.m. In his freshman campaign, Kerley qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds individually after taking runner-up in the 400m at the outdoor league meet. He then captured the 400m silver medal at the Pan American Juniors in Edmonton, Alberta last July.
For the women, it will be sophomore Tiffany Williams leading the charge on the 4x400m relay -- an event she helped the Ladyjacks win at the SLC outdoor meet last year. Freshmen Allison Compass, Madison Compass and Dawnshae Evans will join her in their first collegiate meet.
Williams is also scheduled to compete in the 400m starting at 6:15 p.m.
Highlighting the field event entries is pole vaulter Daven Murphree. The junior placed in the top three in both indoor and outdoor league championships and placed 15th at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in 2015. He will seek a strong start to the season when the men's pole vault final gets underway at 6:30 p.m.
The `Jacks will compete against six other Southland Conference schools on Friday, including McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana and Sam Houston State. LSU, Mississippi State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Hinds Community College, Meridian Community College and Texas Southern round out the 15-team field.
Delta Timing will provide live results from the meet and fans can follow the action at www.DeltaTiming.com. For more updates this weekend and all season long, follow the SFA track and field team on Twitter (@SFA_TFXC).
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