BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Kaitlyn Moreau and Kelci Lyons each turned in championship performances in their respective events and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's indoor track and field team recorded a third-place finish as the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships concluded on Tuesday at the Birmingham Crossplex.

On the men's side, freshman Tyler Hughes set a Sun Belt Conference championship record in the 60-meter hurdles to lead the Ragin' Cajuns to a fifth-place finish.

Louisiana scored 90.5 points to finish third overall in the women's competition, behind champion Texas State (147.5) and Arkansas State (117.5). UT Arlington (87) and Georgia State (82.5) rounded out the top five, followed by Appalachian State (54), UALR (28), South Alabama (20), ULM (12), Troy (12) and Georgia Southern (8).

The Ragin' Cajuns scored 68.50 points on the men's side to finish behind Arkansas State (132.5), UT Arlington (129.5), Texas State (119.5) and South Alabama (85).

"I thought the girls did a great job of getting in the mix early and they kept stepping up all the way through the meet, but just didn't have quite enough on the track to get us over the top," head coach Lon Badeaux said. "The guys had a couple of things go wrong during the first day on the track and that was too much to overcome.

"Overall, I was pleased with the effort and feel very optimistic going into the outdoor season. These two teams, more than most, are built more for the outdoor season."

Moreau claimed the first-ever women's pentathlon title for Louisiana scoring 3,553 points and finishing as one of three Ragin' Cajuns to score in the five-event competition. Jasmin Fusilier finished third overall with 3,467 points and Alexandra Harrell was sixth (3,294). Fusilier and Moreau also scored for the Ragin' Cajuns in the women's 60-meter hurdles, finishing fifth (8.80 seconds) and seventh (8.94), respectively.

Lyons became the first Ragin' Cajun to capture the individual title in the women's 800-meters, after crossing the finish line in 2 minutes, 11.08 seconds. Lyons, who helped the Ragin' Cajuns distance medley relay team to a second-place finish on Monday, ran the anchor leg of Louisiana's 4x400-meter relay team that finished second overall in 3:48.78.

Taylor Walker earned all-conference honors for the Ragin' Cajuns in the women's triple jump after finishing third overall with a mark of 39 feet, 10 inches. Meredith Driskell (12-2 ) and Emily Gale (12-2 ) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the women's pole vault with Jana Jones (47-4 ) and Tamela Young (46-2 ) finishing seventh and eighth in the shot put.

Hughes, a former Dutchtown High product, became Louisiana's first-ever champion in the 60-meter hurdles after posting a meet-record time of 8.07 seconds and edging Arkansas State's Billy Ellis by .002 seconds (8.067-8.069). Teammate Morgan Cormier added a fourth-place finish for the Ragin' Cajuns posting a time of 8.18.

Matthew Rice earned a pair of top-5 finishes for the Ragin' Cajuns after finishing third overall in the men's 1-mile run (4:10.99) and fourth in the 800-meters (1:53.10). Newcomer Hanoj Carter earned a fifth-place finish in the men's 60-meter dash for Louisiana (6.86) with Christian Umphries finishing sixth overall in the heptathlon (4,575 points) and the men's 4x400-meter relay team finishing sixth (3:21.69).

William LeBlanc was one of three Ragin' Cajuns to score in the men's high jump after he cleared the bar at 6-10 to finish second overall. Dionte Heath (6-8) finished third for Louisiana with Devin Davis (6-3 ) finishing seventh.

In the men's triple jump, Ricky Theyard earned a seventh-place finish for Louisiana with a mark of 48-5 , with Kenneth Nassar finishing seventh overall in the shot put (51-3).

Louisiana will officially open its outdoor season on March 14 when it competes in the McNeese State Invitational in Lake Charles.

2015 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships
February 23-24, 2015
Birmingham, Ala. (Birmingham Crossplex)

Women's Team Rankings
1. Texas State - 147.50
2. Arkansas State - 117.50
3. Louisiana - 90.50
4. UT Arlington - 87
5. Georgia State - 82.50
6. Appalachian State - 54
7. UALR - 28
8. South Alabama - 20
9. ULM - 12
9. Troy - 12
11. Georgia Southern - 8

Men's Team Rankings
1. Arkansas State - 132.50
2. UT Arlington - 129.50
3. Texas State - 119.50
4. South Alabama - 85
5. Louisiana - 68.50
6. Appalachian State - 66
7. ULM - 39
8. UALR - 22