LA Tech closes out C-USA Indoor Championships

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Louisiana Tech closed out the 2018 Conference USA Indoor Championships on Sunday afternoon with the men finishing in seventh and the women tenth at the two-day event held at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

LA Tech brought home a pair of first place medals, a silver and bronze over the course of the indoor championships, while overall, Louisiana Tech had 19 top 10 finishes on the weekend.

“The biggest thing is this was definitely an improvement from our performance last year,” head coach Gary Stanley said. “We walked out with the feeling that we had made progress. We are continuing to build for the future. Our coaches worked really hard and the kids had a good attitude, so now it is time to work hard and get ready for the outdoor season next month.”

Senior Tamario Lattin took home the men’s long jump title on Saturday with a jump of 24-9 (7.54m), while he also finished third in the men’s high jump with a mark of 6-10.25 (2.09m) to earn his second medal of the day. Denzel Harper also took home silver in the long jump after registering a mark of 24-5.75 (7.46m) to add eight points to the Bulldogs’ total. Harper also led the way in the triple jump after finishing fifth (49-2.50), while Lattin finished seventh (48-9) followed by Caleb Clark in eighth place (48-4.75).

Overall, Lattin accounted for 18 of the Bulldogs’ 55 total points himself after competing in three different events on the weekend.

LA Tech freshman Cole Courtois took home first place in the men’s pole vault competition at the indoor championships on Saturday after shattering the Louisiana Tech school record with a mark of 17-0.25 (5.19m) to pick up 10 points for the Bulldogs. Daniel Sams finished fifth in the pole vault with a mark of 15-6.50 (4.74m) to earn four points.

In the women’s pole vault, Monique Apuakehau finished seventh with a mark of 11-9.75 (3.60m), while freshman Anna Weeks finished just outside of the top 10 with a mark of 11-3.75 (3.45m).

In the men’s weight throw, Malek Evans placed fifth in the event after tying the Louisiana Tech school record with a mark of 62-2.25 (18.95m) to pick up four points. On the women’s side, Morgan Keesee placed seventh with a throw of 56-9.5 (17.31m). In the women’s shot put, LA Tech sophomore Asia Abron placed eighth with a toss of 45-9.75 (13.96m).

In the women’s high jump competition on Sunday, LA Tech senior Chloe Lautric placed fourth with a jump of 5-7.25 (1.71m) to earn five points for the Lady Techsters. Sydney Anderson also finished sixth in the event with a mark of 5-6 (1.68m), which earned three team points, while Kourtni Goldsmith finished 10th on the day.

Additionally, LA Tech’s Shelby Smith came in fourth in the women’s long jump after her jump of 18-10 (5.74m) tacked on five points for the Lady Techsters’ team score.

Elia Nero, who advanced to the finals of the women’s 800m run on Saturday, finished fifth in the finals with a time of 2:12.83 to earn four points for the Lady Techsters. Nero also raced in the second leg of the 4x400m relay along with Brandi Dobbin, Sharone Johnson and Taylor Shaw as the Lady Techsters finished sixth with a time of 3:45.45

Praise Okorie and Jordan Patrick finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the heptathlon competition with 4,485 and 3,859 points in the seven scored events.

LA Tech will now turn its attention to the outdoor season, which begins next month when the Bulldogs and Lady Techsters travel to Lafayette to compete in the ULL Classic on March 17.

For complete coverage of Louisiana Tech Track and Field, please follow @LATechTFXC on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.