The Book: TrackFieldXC 2005-06

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Here is my question:

Is the new floor at EKL going to be dedicated for VB or BB season?

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When Hurricane Wilma swept across south Florida on Monday, it forced the Sun Belt Conference to change its plans to hold the conference cross country championships in Miami on Friday.

A hurried conference call was held on Tuesday during which the league opted to switch the meeet to Bowling Green, Ky., with Western Kentucky as the host school.

Also, the competition will be held on Saturday instead of Friday.

For the defending men's team champion Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, as well as the Cajun women, it meant a day of scrambling.

"We're hunting for plane tickets right now," said UL track and field coach Lance Veazey, who will accompany distance coach Tim Lemaire, 7 men and 7 women on the trip.

"It's a little hilly, compared to the course we would have run on in Miami, and obviously the weather is a little different. But they have no electricity or water in Miami right now, so the conference is trying to make the best of what we've got."

The low temperature in Bowling Green Tuesday morning was 33 degrees, with an afternoon high in the mid-50's. Miami, meanwhile, had lows in the upper 50's and highs in the 70's.

"The course is more hilly, but we've run there twice before," said senior Justin Lemaire, an All-Sun Belt finisher a year ago. "The cooler weather will be nice. I'm hoping for some fast times."

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"It takes the mental edge off a little bit, trying to get ready for a new place, but over 50 percent of us have run at Bowling Green," teammate D.J. Hebert said. "It's nothing we can't handle."

The Cajuns have been dealing with schedule switches all season, with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita canceling meets at New Orleans and LSU, so this latest change is just another challenge.

Saturday's winners may find a low-key ceremony at meet's end, since the awards have already been sent to Miami in anticipation of Florida International hosting the event.

"Their damage was more than they thought they were going to get," Lemaire said. "While they were talking about it, it was hard to know what to do to prepare."

"Miami is flat and warm, Bowling Green is hilly and cold and Denton (North Texas) is probably flat and windy. I would not have been comfortable hosting the meet on short notice. You do need time to get ready.

"They could have moved the meet back, but you can't move it too much later because (NCAA) regionals are in two weeks and that really wouldn't have been fair to the kids."


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The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns already knew it would be a tall task to repeat as Sun Belt Conference cross country champions.

After all, it had been 30 years since the school's last league title when UL's men were crowned last fall.

Then came Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which disrupted the Cajuns' fall schedule.

Then Hurricane Wilma this week, which ripped south Florida and forced the conference to move Saturday's Aeropostale Sun Belt Championships from Miami to Bowling Green.

It's just another chapter in a strange semester for coach Tim Lemaire's 14-runner squad, which leaves Friday for the meet hosted by Western Kentucky.

"We'll be ready," D.J. Hebert said. "We'll do fine. Coach Tim thinks we have a pretty good shot. We won't be in the back. We'll be in the hunt. If we all show up, we'll do all right."

"Everybody wants to go again and repeat," said Kaplan's Justin Lemaire, an all-conference performer in 2004. "But, with the hurricanes it's been hard to prepare."

"I really don't know how we'll place," Tim Lemaire said. "We're not in racing shape.

"The course is not any tougher than our (Acadiana Park) course. If you run it the right way, you can run real fast. It depends on how you go into it, and if you run the right way mentally.

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"They have an inner and an outer loop. The women's course, the outer loop, is like Girard Park. It's flat and you can move pretty good. There are two inner and two outer loops for the guys."

The Cajuns' final tune-up meet was at Northwestern State last Friday, the last chance to gauge progress.

"There were some teams that beat us that we (normally) could have beaten," coach Lemaire said. "I told them to go out real hard, harder than they've been running. At conference you have to go out fast because it's not your time, it's where you place that matters.

"It gets back to racing shape. You have to see what it feels like when conference comes around."

"We've had a couple weeks off for this, a couple for that," said Hebert of New Iberia. "We've had meets cancel, then wait, then another gets cancelled. We're all trying to get back into it."

"I can just go by practice," Justin Lemaire said. "It could probably be better. I just have to go and give it all I've got. I'd like to finish in the Top 10 again (Lemaire was 8th last year). I hope to try and better my 26:20 time, run in the low 26's."

"I'd like to run under 27 (minutes) for the 8K, but we've only run two 8K's this year," Hebert said. "I like to go out conservative for the first mile, then pick people off. That's what I plan to do Saturday."

"The last time we ran at Bowling Green, it was real hot, like 85 degrees," Tim Lemaire said. "It will be a lot cooler this time, and the runners will like that.

"We had a good, consistent meet last week. We've been improving at a consistent rate. Our women can improve their 8th place of last year. How much, I don't know.

"I'm optimistic about the meet. I'm encouraged, anxious to do it."


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BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- The University of Louisiana Ragin Cajun and Lady Cajuns Cross Country teams both finished in 10th place Saturday, at the Aeropostale Sun Belt Conference cross country championships, in Bowling Green, Ky.

Host WKU claimed the title on the men’s side, while Arkansas-Little Rock took home the women’s crown.

In the men’s 8k run, senior Justin Lemaire finished with a time of 27:03.60. D.J. Hebert finished with a time of 27:31.21 and Joshua Falgout finished at 28:23.88.

For the women, sophomore Jasmine Collins finished at 19:29.31. Jennifer Gautreaux ran a time of 20:04.39 and Casey Brown finished at 20:13.29

The Ragin’ Cajuns will now look forward to their indoor track season, which will begin January 14, 2006, at the LSU Purple Tiger Invitational.

<center>LOUISIANA SI

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ATLANTA - Since Robert Lee took over the helm of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajun men's basketball team prior to last season, the Cajuns have never lost more than two straight games.

That bit of history will be put to the test tonight when the Cajuns (0-2) try for the third time for their first victory of the season. They'll meet Georgia State's Panthers (1-1) tonight at 6 p.m. (CST) at the GSU Sports Arena, seeking to avoid the program's first 0-3 start since 1996-97.

The first two losses weren't exactly upsets, with UL falling on the road to Southern Illinois (47-65) and Tennessee (76-83). The Cajuns play a third straight road game tonight, and this opponent's no slouch, either.

GSU dropped a narrow 73-68 home decision to highly-regarded Charlotte - UL's opponent for its Saturday home opener at Blackham Coliseum - on Saturday after a runaway win over Delaware last Tuesday in their debut as a Colonial Athletic Association member.

The teams played two games last year with each winning on their home floors, and they're continuing what has become a rarity in college basketball with a second straight home-and-home series this year. GSU will play the Cajuns Jan. 2 in the final game in Blackham before UL's scheduled return to the Cajundome for its Sun Belt Conference home opener Jan. 12 against South Alabama.

Lee is hoping that his team makes as much improvement tonight as it did between its first and second games. After a blowout loss at SIU, UL rallied from as much as a 21-point deficit against the Volunteers and took the lead twice in the final five minutes before unbeaten UT rallied.

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"Our team grew up a lot in that game," Lee said. "In the second half, I think our guys finally understood what we'd been talking about, the level you have to play at and the intensity you need to play on this level."

Dwayne Mitchell had 19 points and 20 rebounds - the most by any Cajun since Lonnie Thomas had 22 boards against Siena in 2000 - in recording the sixth double-double of his career. He goes into tonight's GSU game averaging 16.5 points and 14.0 rebounds.

The key, though, may once again be senior center Michael Southall, who was limited by foul trouble and had five points and four rebounds against UT. The 6-foot-11 Southall had 15 points, 11 boards and five blocks against SIU, and creates matchup problems for a GSU team that has no starter above 6-8.

Senior guards Malcolm Mainer (18.0) and Boyd Copeland (16.0) lead the Panthers in scoring - not a good sign since the Cajuns have had trouble defending on the perimeter through two games. Opponents are shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range so far this season.

But a Cajun newcomer group that was invisible in the opener accounted for 41 points on 14-of-29 shooting against the Vols. Starting swingman Ed Turner and improving point guard Maurice Barksdale each had 14 points.

"They showed me why I believed this team was going to be very good," Lee said of the newcomer group. "If they continue like that, we're going to have some happy moments."

TRAVEL PROBLEMS: If the Cajuns are successful tonight, it will be in spite of a nightmare travel day Monday. The UL squad and travel party was stuck in the Memphis airport for more than eight hours when a flight to Atlanta was canceled due to weather in the Atlanta area and a later flight was delayed because of the scheduled aircraft's difficulties getting out of Atlanta.

The team did not arrive in Atlanta until approximately 11 p.m.






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&nbsp; Lance Veazey has been busy on his cell phone lately, rounding up his Louisiana Ragin' Cajun men and women as they prepare to open the indoor track and field season at LSU's Purple Tiger Invitational on Saturday at the Maddox Field House.

That first meet has an added touch this year since UL students don't begin classes for the spring semester until Jan. 17.

And since many of the Cajuns' squad members are newcomers, it has added a bit of scrambling to the mix.

"This is the first time we've had a meet before school starts," Veazey said. "I've been getting out uniforms, calling kids, telling them to get their shoes, checking to make sure they know when to show up.

"It's a learning experience."

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For some Cajuns, it's been six weeks since the coaching staff has seen them practice.

"It won't take long to find out who kept working and who spent the holidays taking it easy.

"For this first meet, I'm looking to see how they compete and where they fit in," Veazey said. "We want to find out what their role on the team is going to be.

"With the older kids, you can put them into different events because they know you just want to experiment. But you have to be careful with the younger athletes.

"They come in and they want to win every week, but they have to understand they're still in a training phase. It's a long season."

The Cajuns, traditionally stronger in the outdoor season than indoors, are slated to compete in five indoor meets and seven outdoors this semester.

"Saturday's meet is their (LSU's) big meet of the year," Veazey said.

"The one on the 27th is a little more pared down. We might have 20 heats of the 60, another 20 of the hurdles this weekend. We'll bring about 19-20 men and 19-20 women, the majority of them first-time freshmen."

With grduation losses like Walter Whitfield, Jon-Erik Shanklin, Analise and Laura Zaunbrecher and Laura Credeur, this year's Cajuns are taking a step back in experience. But the standards remain high.

"This is my ninth season here, and it's a new challenge," Veazey said. "People expect things out of this program. This year is different, since last May we graduated 10-12 and another five or six ran out of eligibility.

"We've got so many new faces. Track is cyclical. Every four years or so you have to re-do the whole team. We have a lot of young talent. I hope they adapt to college competition. It will take time for them to compete at a level the others left at.

"I like to see how the athletes develop. Since we're graduating people, at least you know we're doing something.

"They're getting their diploma. Years from now, people may not remember you won conference, but you've got your diploma."

Veazey noted that many of the newcomers are accustomed to competing in numerous sports in high school, and so spend the fall playing volleyball or football and don't begin track practice until midway through the spring. At UL, the Cajuns have been working on conditioning since last September.

"They're in the same boat as every other freshman," Veazey said. "It's important to get off to a good start and establish their position in their event."

Of course, a poor first meet could shake a young athlete not accustomed to failure. Such a revelation could require a helpful word from veterans like Luke Moody, Kyle Ward, Andree' Bonvillain and Jasmine Collins.

It may take a few meets for the Cajuns to hit their stride. Right now, Veazey's just trying to make sure they get moved back into the dorm today and know what's expected of them this weekend.





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<b>Ragin' Cajun athletes named to the select team include</b>:
<li>Lawrence Willis, 2002-2004 <li>Ndabe Mdhlongwa, 1993-96 <li>Graddy Labbe, 1991-92, '94 <li>Henry Brooks, 1991-92 <li>Larry Moore, 1991-92

<b>Lady Cajun athletes named to the select team include</b>:
<li>Twilet Malcolm, 1991 & 1993 <li>Kiesha Owens, 1992-94, '96 <li>Beverley Langley, 1996-99 <li>Cecilia Noel, 1997-99

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Lawrence Willis, 2002-2004
Sun Belt Outdoor Triple Jump Champion 2002, 2003, 2004; Sun Belt Indoor Triple Jump Champion 2002, 2003, 2004; Sun Belt Indoor Long Jump Champion 2003, 2004; Indoor & Outdoor All-American (Triple Jump).

Ndabe Mdhlongwa, 1993-96
1995 Triple Jump National Champion; 1995 Triple Jump World Champion; Four-time All-American 1993-96 (Triple Jump); Four-time Sun Belt Triple Jump Champion (1993-96); 1993 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (Long Jump/High Jump); 1994-96 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (Triple Jump).

Graddy Labbe, 1991-92, '94
1993 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (55m Hurdles, 200m).

Henry Brooks, 1991-92
1992 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (4x400m relay); 1992 NCAA Indoor Championship Qualifier.

Larry Moore, 1991-92
1992 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (Long Jump, Triple Jump).

Ragin' Cajun women's athletes named to the select team include:

Twilet Malcolm, 1991 & 1993
1993 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (55m, 200m, 4x400m relay); 1993 All-American (55m).

Kiesha Owens, 1992-94, '96
1992 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (55m, 200m); 1993 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (4x400m relay); 1994 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (200m); 1995 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (4x400m relay).

Beverley Langley, 1996-99
1996 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (55m, 200m); 1997 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (200m, 4x400m relay); 1998 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (55m, 200m); 1996 NCAA Indoor Championship Qualifier (200m).

Cecilia Noel, 1997-99
1998 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (Triple Jump); 1999 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (Triple Jump).





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&nbsp; BATON ROUGE - Philip Guidry posted a runner-up finish to highlight participation for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in LSU's Purple Tiger Invitational indoor track and field meet Saturday at the Carl Maddox Field House.

Guidry placed second in the men's one mile in a time of 4:41.02, bested only by Grambling's Winston Sims (4:38.60).

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bbrown@theadvertiser.com

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Other performances among Cajun men included D.J. Hebert (5th, mile, 5:06.71), Kyle Ward (8.10) and Luke Moody (8.21), third and fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, Brian Pearson (4th, long jump, 21-4.75) and Chance Perkins (7th, long jump, 20-2.5).

For the Cajun women, Leah Legere finished third in a tightly-bunched 800-meter run in 2:29.74 behind Grambling's Sha'tina Anderson (2:27.06) and Jackson State's Adrienne Smith (2:28.87).
Andree Bonvillain (10-6), freshman Kelli Hebert (10-0) and Lauryn Allgood (9-6.25) were 5th, 7th and 9th in the women's pole vault.

Also, Toni Lee's best effort of 17-11 in the women's long jump trailed only Jessica Walter of New Orleans (18-3) in her flight, while teammate Kimberly Doucet was 8th in the flight (15-8.75).

LSU performers from the Acadiana area included Hanson Memorial-ex Kate Accardo (8th, women's 3,000 meters, 10:43.06) and former Abbeville standout Roland LeBlanc (7th, men's 3,000, 8:54.37).




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<! UL speedster turns attention to track after memorable football campaign. ->

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BATON ROUGE - The last time most fans of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns saw Kyle Ward, he was returning an interception 53 yards for a touchdown in Louisiana's football season finale at UL Monroe.

The runback evened the score at 7-7 and sent the Cajuns on their way to a 54-21 victory that clinched a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship.

Since that season ended, Ward has turned his attention to the indoor track and field campaign, with similar eye-catching results.

He was looking to break the 8-second mark in the 60-meter hurdles when the Cajuns opened the season at the Jan. 14 Purple Tiger Invitational at LSU. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder settled for a third-place 8.10 clocking, but that was still a career best performance.

"I wanted to be under 8-flat for that first meet," Ward said. "But I got out really bad without block work. In the preliminaries, I hit the first hurdle really hard. My legs are strong, so I didn't stumble, but it still decreased my speed.

"Running from behind when everybody's good is hard."

Ward spent the Christmas break working on strengthening his legs, includiing pulling a sled uphill.

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"I'm not in track shape where I'm running like I'd like to run, but I PR'd without working out," Ward said. "The indoor and outdoor seasons are different, but I should be in shape to qualify for nationals in the 110 hurdles by the LSU meet, like last year."

The Alcorn State transfer, who competed with UL track last spring but saw his first football action here last fall, knows there's a fine line between being rested and rusty for an opening meet.

"Kyle and Luke Moody had six weeks off, but came back faster than ever," UL coach Lance Veazey said (Moody tied for fourth at 8.21 in the 60 hurdles). "They were well-rested and ready to go. I expected that from those two guys.

"It shows for the older kids. They know there's a fine line. The freshmen really didn't know. They were scared and anxious."

"Luke and I were the only ones back in the fall who had qualified for (NCAA) regionals before," Ward said. "We didn't have a lot of experience back. I tell the freshmen they have to work out or they'll be last, and that's not fun.

"Where Luke's more quiet, I come off as bossy. But there's been no one there to say, 'that's not good enough.' "

"For some of the young kids, it was a good thing, so they know what to expect," Veazey said of the opener. "For others it was a rude awakening. They know they've got to get back to work."

The Cajuns are competing in today's Bayou Bengal Invitational at LSU, the latest chance to improve for the versatile Ward.

"Until my senior year (at Kimball High in Dallas), I was a basketball player," Ward said. "That's why I'm so skinny. My junior year, we lost in the Class 5A state finals when a guy hit a buzzer-beater. I was the guy in the highlights on Fox Sports Southwest with his hands on his head and his mouth open.

"I still liked football, but I wasn't serious about it until I got to Alcorn State."

When it came time to transfer from Alcorn, Ward consulted former Kimball teammate Michael Adams about a UL program quickly becoming known for its outstanding defensive backs.

Charles Tillman (Bears) and Ike Taylor (Steelers) started at cornerback for playoff teams, with Taylor now in the Super Bowl, while C.C. Brown was a rookie safety in 2005 with the Houston Texans.

NFL scouts now know to stop by UL when looking for secondary personnel.

"That's definitely a factor in the things that brought me here," Ward said. "Michael feels he can go to the league and get drafted, and that gives me a lot of confidence."

When scouts see Ward's hurdles prowess on top of his coverage skills, he should get his chance.




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