2002-2004 UL Trackster Lawrence Willis

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UL triple jumper vying to become the school's first national champion since 1995

AUSTIN, Texas – University of Louisiana senior triple jumper Lawrence Willis will take the field here Friday evening at Mike A. Meyers Stadium looking to make his final collegiate appearance an historic one at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Willis, the three-time Sun Belt Conference triple jump champion, looks to add the title of national champion to his storied career and join the company of University of Louisiana greats Hollis Conway and Ndabe Mdhlongwa.


The Iota native, who enters the championships as the fourth seed, is scheduled to participate in the triple jump preliminary round at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. A finish in the Top 12 would move Willis into the final round at 7:15 p.m. Saturday with a national championship on the line.

Willis reached the national meet by placing fifth in the triple jump at the NCAA Mideast Regional two weeks ago at LSU. The top five finishers in each of the four regional meets automatically advanced to the national championships.

The 2003 All-American will be making his second straight trip to the NC’s. Last season Willis finished fourth with his jump of 53-10 ¼ in Sacramento, Calif., as he became the school’s first All-American since 1997.

Now, Willis has his sights set on giving UL Lafayette its first national champion since 1995. Mdhlongwa was the last Cajun track athlete to be crowned the nation’s best after he won the triple jump in '95. Conway claimed the high jump titles in 1988 and 1989.

Performing at the highest level has brought out the best in Willis this season. His longest jumps this season have come on two of the NCAA’s biggest stages.

He set a career best of 54-4 as he claimed a fourth place finish at the NCAA Indoors in March in Fayetteville, Ark.

One month later he took it a step further when he landed a mark of 55-1 at the Texas Relays – a tally which earned him his No. 4 ranking heading into this weekend’s competition. The mark ranks as the second longest triple jump recorded in school history, trailing only Mdhlongwa’s distance of 55-09.25 set in 1996, and is in the world’s top 30 in the event this year.

Willis will be at the meet adding to a record number of male and female athletes from Sun Belt Conference institutions. The Sun Belt will be represented by 10 men, five women and two men’s relay teams.

Although his collegiate career is ending this weekend, Willis has the opportunity to compete amongst the world’s best following the NCAA meet. He has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials to be held in Sacramento July 9-18 where he will attempt to earn a spot on Team USA for this summer's Olympic Games in Athens.

LOUISIANA SI

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Far flying Ragin Cajun of Louisiana goes for national championship at 7:15 p.m. Saturday

AUSTIN, Texas - With a sixth-place finish at a jump of 53 feet in the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field triple jump preliminaries, Louisiana senior Lawrence Willis kept alive his hopes of a repeat All-American finish and a possible national championship in the event.

The jump advanced the Iota native into Saturday's championship round.

Willis will be a participant in the triple jump finals which will take place here Saturday at 7:15 p.m. at Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

Willis will be vying to become the Univerisy of Louisiana's first national champion since 1995 when Ndabe Mdhlongwa claimed the triple jump title that season.

The 2003 All-American and three-time Sun Belt triple jump champion posted the sixth-best qualifying mark at 53-00.00. The top 12 athletes in the preliminary round advanced into Saturday's finals.

Willis finished third in Flight 1, trailing fellow finals participants Leevan Sands of Auburn and Jason Powell of Rice. Sands posted the event's top mark with a jump of 56-04.00 and figures to be Willis' main competition in the quest for the national title.

This is Willis' second appearance in an NCAA final round. Last season, he claimed fourth place at the NCAA meet in Sacramento, Calif., for his first outdoor All-American honor.

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WILLIS CLAIMS THIRD PLACE IN NCAA TRIPLE JUMP CHAMPIONSHIPS
Louisiana Flyer picks up his second straight outdoors All-American honor

AUSTIN, Texas - University of Louisiana triple jumper Lawrence Willis wrapped up his collegiate career by turning in the second-best jump of his career here Saturday evening at the 2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

The timely performance also earned him his second straight All-American honor in the outdoor triple jump and second in his signature event this season.

The Iota native cleared 54-8 1/4 to land him a third place finish. Willis' finish earned him six points in the event and bested his fourth-place outing from last season.

Willis hit his final distance on his second jump and was one of only two athletes in the event without a foul.

His distance was the second-best of his career. Willis turned in his career-best 55-1 at the Texas Relays in April at Meyers Stadium.

He becomes the first back-to-back All-American for the Ragin' Cajuns since Ndabe Mdhlongwa did so in the triple jump during the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

Willis picked up his second All-American honor of the season. Earlier this season he tallied a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor meet in Fayetteville, Ark.

Willis trailed national champion and Auburn's Leevan Sands, who jumped 56-2, and Indiana's Aairk Wilson who turned in a mark of 55-6 1/2.

Although his collegiate career ended with Saturday's jump, Willis has the opportunity to compete amongst the world's best next month. He has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials to be held in Sacramento July 9-18 where he will attempt to earn a spot on Team USA for this summer's Olympic Games in Athens.

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Cajun star cherishes Olympic dream in triple jump.

LOUISIANA La. — Back home in Iota, Lawrence Willis is high profile.

That’s hard to be when you’re as soft-spoken as Willis is, but it’s easy when you’re a track and field All-American who’s just finished third in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships.

That profile could ascend even higher if the University of Louisiana product earns a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team that will travel to Athens, Greece, for the 2004 Olympic Games.

Willis is gearing up for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials that begin Friday in Sacramento, with the triple jump preliminaries on Thursday, July 15, and the finals on July 17.

“Everybody is excited,” Willis said of his hometown. “Not everbody gets this opportunity. And, if I can make the team it will bring recognition to the town. Everybody is praying for me.

“No one from around here will be able to go to the Trials, but I have family in San Diego and Fresno, and they might come.”

Willis earned a third All-American honor at this year’s NCAA Championships with his 54-8 1/4 effort, finishing behing winner Leevan Sands of Auburn (56-2) and Indiana’s Aarik Wilson (55-6 1/2) among the best collegians in the nation.

To be sure, the Trials figure to be even more challenging. And the atmosphere is sure to be charged with electricity.

“I think it will be a lot better than the NCAA’s,” Willis said. “It will be what I want — everybody will be jumping for gold.

“They will be competing through the whole thing, instead of just being there, like some of the guys at the NCAA’s. The energy will be there, and I think that’s a plus.”

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

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University of Louisiana Ragin' Cajun triple jumper participates in qualifying round Thursday, July 15 at 5:45 p.m. (CT)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns triple jump specialist Lawrence Willis will attempt to add a roster spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track and Field team to his growing list of accomplishments as he participates in the U.S. Olympic Trials this week in Sacramento, Calif.

Held at Sacramento State's Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex, the meet will solidify the U.S. track and field roster as the top three finishers in each event will earn automatic bids to Athens for the 2004 Olympic Games August 13-29.

Willis, a three-time All-American in the triple jump, will participate in the event’s qualifying round on Thursday, July 15 at 5:45 p.m. (CT).

Should he advance, the final round is set for Saturday, July 17 at 3:30 p.m. (CT).

The top 12 finishers after the qualifying round will advance to Saturday’s finals.

The top three from Saturday’s finals will advance to the Olympic Games provided they achieve the Olympic “A” standard. If they do not meet the standard at the Trials, they have until Aug. 9 to meet the Olympic ‘A’ standard.

Willis is attempting to become the University of Louisiana’s first Olympian since two-time high jump medalist Hollis Conway. Conway is the only American ever to win two Olympic medals in the high jump. The Shreveport native participated in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, and 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona after going 7-8 1/2 in winning the U.S. Olympic Trials that year.

Willis qualified for the 2004 Trials with a jump of 55-1 at the Texas Relays in April. The 55-feet mark is considered the measuring stick on determining who competes on a national or international level. His jump ranks in the world’s top 30 in the event this year.

The Iota native returns to the site of the first All-American performance of his career. At the 2003 NCAA National Championships in Sacramento, Willis finished fourth in the triple jump finals with a leap of 53-10 ¼.

Willis picked up two more All-American accolades this past season as a senior, finishing fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships and third at the Outdoor Championships. He turned in the second-best jump of his career, 54-8 ¼, at the 2004 outdoor finals in Austin, Texas.

For complete live results from the U.S. Olympic Trials, please visit http://www.usatf.org.

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LAWRENCE WILLIS MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO ROSTER SPOT
Louisiana's All-American triple jumper will compete in the finals Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns All-American track performer Lawrence Willis qualified for the finals in the triple jump competition at the 2004 U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials here Thursday afternoon at Sacramento State's Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.

Willis' leap of 54-11 1/4 placed him sixth overall, with the top 12 advancing to Saturday afternoon's final.

The Iota, La., native will aim for a spot on the Olympic roster during the final round which will be held at 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Saturday.

The top three finishers in triple jump, who have met the Olympic "A" qualifying standard, will be named to the U.S. Olympic roster. The qualifying standard for the men's triple jump is 55-7 1/2. If a top three finalist fails to meet the standard, that athlete has until Monday, Aug. 9 to reach it and secure a roster spot.

Willis finished less than two feet behind third place finisher and former University of Arkansas All-American Melvin Lister who cleared 56-0 1/2.

Willis' jump was three inches farther than his third-place jump at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships (54-8 1/4) and was just under two inches shy of his career-best 55-1 turned in at the Texas Relays in April.

Willis bested Indiana University's Aarik Wilson who had clipped him for a second place at the NCAA Championships. Wilson failed to reach the finals as he fouled twice and his third and final jump went 52-9 1/2 placing him nearly nine inches behind 12th-place finisher Erik Newby (53-6 1/4).

Former Northwestern State standout Kenta Bell finished first with a jump of 57-3 3/4.

On Saturday, Willis will be attempting to catch Bell, Walter Davis (56-11 1/2), Lister, Von Ware (55-3 3/4) and Tim Rusan (55-1 1/2) - all who finished first through fifth ahead of him - in his bid to reach the magical top three.

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Career-best effort good enough for 5th best in the land
University of Louisiana All-American triple jumper in rare air

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns All-American triple jump specialist Lawrence Willis saved his best for last here at the 2004 U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials at Sacramento State's Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.

The three-time All-American leaped a career-best 55-7 in the final round of the triple jump competition - a mark which is the Olympic "A" Standard.

The jump bested his previous career benchmark of 55-1 accomplished at the 2004 Texas Relays in April.

The jump landed the Iota native in a tie for fifth place with Robert Howard and nearly two feet from the magical third place finish which would have put him on the Olympic roster. Pre-meet favorite and former Northwestern State All-American Kenta Bell came in third with a jump of 57-8 1/4.

Willis fouled three times, but achieved his fifth-place mark on his third attempt.

Though he didn't qualify for the Olympics, Willis made a valiant effort and wound up finishing in the Top 5 among the nation's elite triple jumpers.

Former Butler County Community College and University of Arkansas standout and 2000 Olympian Melvin Lister took the title with a jump of 58-4.

LSU's Walter Davis was a second at 57-10 1/4 while Bell rounded out the Olympic qualifiers.

Willis finished ahead of 2000 Olympian and NSU standout LaMark Carter who finished eighth at 54-9 1/4.

Saturday's events wrapped up an eventful year for Willis. The UL standout claimed two All-American honors earlier this year with a fourth place finish in the NCAA Indoor Championships and a third place outing at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He also won the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Indoor and Outdoor triple jump championships.

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