Big schools line up at state meet, St. Louis girls seek indoor-outdoor sweep
Rodrick Anderson
The coronavirus pandemic stopped the St. Louis Catholic girls track and field team from sweeping the indoor and outdoor state championship last year, but the Saints will get that chance this week.
Since winning their second consecutive indoor title in February, the Saints have won almost every meet they entered and are the favorite heading into the Class 3A meet on Friday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge.
The Saints are young with two seniors out of 14 athletes who qualified for state but are seeded fourth or better in 16 events.
St. Louis is going for its fifth girls outdoor title and first since 2014. St. Louis has won four team titles this school year — girls indoor track and basketball and boys tennis and golf.
Leading the way is senior Halyn Senegal, who is eying a pair of gold medals in the 200-meter dash
(25.26) and 400 (55.20) as the top seed in both events. She is within striking distance of Amite’s Latonia Wilson’s Class 3A 400 record of 55.09 seconds.
The Saints are strong in the relays too with the No. 1 4×200 team, the No. 2 4×100, and the thirdranked 4×400 team.
Underclassman Emma Freeman (discus, javelin), the 2019 discus champion, Ella Segura (1,600, 3,200), and Kenzie Touchet (100 and 300 hurdles) are ranked in the top three in two events each.
On the boys side, Iowa and Lake Charles College Prep have strong contenders. Iowa, which won the Region II title last week, has the top two seeds in the high jump in Quinton Collins and Curtis Deville plus the No. 1 4×100 relay team
(41.88) of McQuinton Montgomery, Curtis Deville, Cejae Ceasar and Brycen Leblanc.
The Trailblazers are looking to get points from throws specialist Marcus Francis, the top qualifier in the shot put and discus, and Thaddeus Campbell, who is the two seed in the triple jump and 300 hurdles and will likely anchor LCCP’s No. 1 ranked 4×200 and second-seeded 4×100 teams.
South Beauregard sophomore Trinity Spooner is back to defend her javelin title she won as an eighth-grader in 2019. She has one of the nation’s best throws this season at 152 feet, 4 inches.
Westlake sophomore Tristan Goodly will look to be the third in his family to win a triple jump state title. His brother Xavier won the 3A title in 2019. His father, Arthur Goodly, won in 1996, competing for Elton High School.
St. Louis’ Ivan Appleton is back to defend his 1,600 and 3,200 titles from 2019 as the top qualifier in the 3,200 and three seed in the 1,600. He will also anchor the top 4×800 team.
In Saturday’s Class 5A and 4A meets, Barbe’s Ariel Williams is the top seed in the high jump (5-6), while DeRidder’s Joelle Terry leads the triple jump field (35-6).
In the Class 2A meet Friday, Kinder’s Bryce Savant has the top qualifying throw in the discus (147-3) after placing sixth in 2019, while Rosepine’s 4×800 team of Sullivan Hanna, Joseph Kennedy, Johnny Lindsey and Bailey Savioe is the top seed at 8:39.43.
St. Louis Catholic’s Halyn Senegal won the 200-meter dash and 400-meter run on Tuesday at the District 4-3A meet.