DAY ONE RESULTS (MileSplit) | DAY ONE RESULTS (PDF)
NEW ORLEANS – For the second straight season,
Rebecca DeKay is the Southland 10K champion as the University of New Orleans Track and Field program got off to a solid start on the opening day of the 2024 Southland Outdoor Championships in Houston, Texas.
Like last year, DeKay ran a controlled race from start to finish, running stride for stride with Nia Clatworthy of Lamar. The Canadian used a strong kick during the last lap to surge ahead, beating Clatworthy by 12 seconds in 40:08.73. DeKay joins teammate
Alimot Alowonle as current Privateers with back-to-back Southland Championships. Alowonle is the reigning indoor long jump champion for the last two seasons. DeKay is also just the fourth woman to win back-to-back Southland 10K championships.
Irene Bonanomi finished in third place behind Clatworthy, picking up six points for the Privateers with a time of 41:20.56 in her first collegiate 10K.
Michelle Folk rounded out the scoring for New Orleans, grabbing two points for the second straight year after finishing seventh with a time of 41:57.23. The 18 points collected by the trio were the most by any school in the women's 10K on Thursday night.
All five Privateer women qualified for Saturday's 1500-meter finals.
Emma Bourg,
Sophia Wolf, and
Alexandra Weir were automatic qualifiers with top-four finishes in their heats. Bourg finished second in heat one (and third overall) with a time of 4:42.79, while Weir finished fourth (and seventh overall) with a time of 4:43.96. Wolf finished third in heat two (and sixth overall) with a time of 4:48.51.
Anna Martin and
Agnes Danner also qualified with times of 4:45.49 and 4:47.50. It will be the third straight Southland 1500-meter outdoor final for both Martin and Weir.
Helen Baumgarten set a pair of personal bests on the first day of the women's heptathlon. The sophomore from Baden-Baden, Germany, set new personal bests in both the 110-meter hurdles with a second-place time of 14.38, and the high jump clearing 1.61 meters – crushing her previous best of 1.55 meters. She also finished second in the 200 meters in 24.37 seconds and 10th in the shot put with a best throw of 8.87 meters. As it stands, she sits in third place with a point total of 2,987.
Trinity Bracey,
Madonna Favour, and
Kelton Brookins just missed out on qualifying for event finals on Thursday evening. Bracey finished second in her women's 200 heat with a time of 24.50 – a top 15 mark in school history and the 11th fastest time out of 30 competitors. Favour finished third in his heat and 15th overall with a time of 21.54. Brookins finished ninth overall – one spot out of qualification in the men's 400-meter hurdles after finishing heat one in 56.79.
Jannah Sharpe got things going for the Privateer women, picking up the first point of the competition after an eighth-place finish in the women's hammer throw on Thursday morning. Her fourth throw of the day was a season best of 46.25 meters.
New Orleans returns to action for day two of the Southland Championships when the long jump portion of the women's heptathlon begins for Baumgarten at 11:30 a.m. ESPN+ coverage begins tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. with the start of the running events, and fans can follow @privateerstfxc on both Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the day.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play, and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
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