Feb. 14, 2007

BEAUMONT - The Lamar University track and field teams will head to Houston for the 28th annual Southland Conference indoor track and field championship, held at the Yeoman Field House on the campus of the University of Houston on Friday and Saturday.

Entering the meet, the Lamar men are looking to improve upon their 10th place finish from a year ago. The Cardinals scored 18 points at the 2006 SLC Indoor Championship, but appear poised to blow past that total this season.

Francis Kasagule leads the Cards into the meet with the top times in the SLC in the mile and the 3,000 meter run. Kasagule has been impressive in his first indoor season, setting a new SLC record in the 3,000 meter run with a 7:59.21 which he ran at the Terrier Invitational in Boston, Mass. His time in that meet is the 14th fastest time in the NCAA this season, and is the top performance by a freshman. He has also posted the fourth fastest time in conference history in the mile, posting a 4:07.27 at the Leonard Hilton Invitational in Houston.

Kasagule won't be alone in the 3,000 and the mile, Danny Shaw has also been one of the SLC's best in both events as well. Shaw, the defending champion in the mile, enters the meet with the conference's third best time in the mile with a 4:16.36, which he ran at the Houston Invitational, and the sixth best time in the 3,000 meter run, an 8:29.95 which he ran at the Purple Tiger Invitational in Baton Rouge on January 13. Last year Shaw ran a 4:13.36 to win the crown.

Ewan Simpson enters the meet with the fourth fastest mile, running a 4:16.84 at the Houston Invitational, while Aaron Brannen holds the seventh fastest time in the conference, a 4:20.05, also run at the Houston Invitational.

Frank Bwambale joins Kasagule and Shaw as one of the top 3,000 meter runners in the conference, entering the meet with a season-best time of 8:33.80, seventh best in the conference.

Also expected to help bolster the Cardinals results will be the distance medley relay, which enters the championship with the top time in the conference this season. The Cardinals posted a 10:04.69 at the Houston Invitational, which is the second fasted time in school history.

The other distance race Lamar should fair well in is the 5,000 meter run. Hamish Meacham enters the meet with the third fastest time in the SLC this season, running a 15:23.62 at the Leonard Hilton Invitational. Bwambale will also run the 5,000 to the Cardinals, despite not having run one yet this year.

In the sprints, Michael Gauthier leads the way for Lamar in the 60-meter dash. He is tied for the sixth fastest time of the year in the SLC, running a 6.87 at the Houston Invitational. Stephen Boone has the top time for LU in the 400-meter dash, posting a 50.86, also at the Houston Invitational.

After finishing in fourth place with 90 points last year, the Lamar women look to move into the top three of the SLC this season, led by the strong running of Clerc Koenck.

Just like her male counterpart Kasagule, Koenck enters the meet as the conference's top performer in the mile and the 3,000 meter run. She set a new Lamar University record in the mile with a 4:52.22 at the Houston Invitational and also re-wrote the record book in the 3,000, posting a time of 9:45.99.

Koenck, who also won the 2006 cross country championship last fall, is joined by Amanda King and Renee Graham, who have been two of the SLC's top distance runners over the last several years.

King, the defending SLC champion in the mile, enters the meet with the conference's third fastest time in the mile and the fourth fastest time in the 3,000 meter run. She posted a time of 4:58.17 in the mile at the Houston Invitational and ran a 9:59.21 in the 3,000 at LSU. Last year King ran a personal-best 4:57.19 to win the title.

Graham, the defending champion in the 3,000 meter run, enters the meet with the second fastest time in the SLC this season, running a 9:53.93 at the Houston Invitational. She won the title last season with a 9:48.69 performance. She has also run the conference's fastest 5,000 this spring, posting a time of 17:24.49 at the Leonard Hilton Invitational. Last year Graham finished in second place in the 5,000.

Stacey Monteau also plays a key part in the Lady Cardinals core of distance success. She has the SLC's third fastest time in the 5,000 this season, running an 18:10.17 at the Leonard Hilton. Last year Monteau finished fifth in the 5,000 meter run and seventh in the 3,000.

Newcomer's Rachel Kingsford and Andrea Smith have also been a welcome addition for the Lady Cardinals. Kingsford enters the SLC championship with the sixth fastest time in the mile with a 5:11.73, while Smith holds the fourth best time in the 800-meter run with a 2:17.97.

The women's DMR enters the meet with high expectations of a three-peat as champions. The Lady Cardinals have turned in the SLC's top performance this season, with a school record of 11:51.64. Last year they won the event by running 12:02.15, and in 2005 with a time of 12:01.57.

In the sprints, Jessika Johnson and Adrianne Johnson will look to score in the 60-meter hurdles. Jessika Johnson enters the meet tied for the fifth fastest time in the SLC with a 8.89, run at the UH Run Sport All-Comers Meet, while Adrianne Johnson has the eighth fastest time, a 9.05, run at the Leonard Hilton Invitational.

Brittany Pollard also looks to be a factor for Lamar in the 400, entering the meet with the conference's fifth-best performance. She ran a personal-best 58.39 at the Houston Invitational.

Up to the minute results for the SLC Championships can be found at http://flashresults.com/flashtexas/slcindoor07/