Contact: Matt Hebert
 
LAFAYETTE, La. – Six Ragin’ Cajuns track and field athletes will take part in the 2013 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships East Preliminary on May 23-25 in Greensboro, N.C., head coach Lon Badeaux announced.
 
Louisiana will send four women and two men to the prelims with five of the six athletes competing in field events.
 
“These kids for the most part have done pretty well all year long,” Badeaux said. “We didn’t qualify as many people as we have in the past, but what is unique is that most of our athletes that qualified are in the Top 24 performance wise. That means that they have a greater chance of making it to nationals. They will be in the better flights and so that will give them a better shot of advancing to the national meet.”
 
Kacey Elphage is the lone Ragin’ Cajuns sprinter to compete at the East Preliminary qualifying for the 100-meter hurdles. She ranks 14th among the field at the prelims with a time of 13.31.
 
In the field events, both Tarvia Conway and Tia Mitchell posted qualifying marks at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships to earn a spot in the prelims. Conway has the 21st best jump in the triple jump with a mark of 12.76m/41-10½, while Mitchell has the 24th ranked mark in the long jump with her jump of 6.15m/20-2¼ at the conference meet.
 
Lindsey Harmon will compete in the high jump. Her best mark was 1.79m/5-10½ and ranks 28th among the field at the prelims.
 
On the men’s side, both Myles Melancon and Justin Victor reached the prelims in the throwing events. Melancon ranks 26th in the shot put with a best mark of 17.73m/58-2. Victor ranks 26th in hammer throw with a top distance of 60.73m/199-3.
 
Check ncaa.com for start lists and live results.