May 26, 2008

School is out but a little more than a handful of standout track and field athletes for McNeese State are still competing.

Five of them - Freddie Hannie, Carlese Franklin, John Jamail, Ben Chretien and Christi McRae - head to Fayetteville, AR on Wednesday for the NCAA's mideast regional track and field meet.

That event will run Friday and Saturday on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

McNeese actually had eight athletes qualify for regionals but javelin thrower David Richardson is injured and the long jumper Brown brothers - Darrick and Marcus - are both in NFL football camps this summer.

Freddie Hannie - NCAA participant

And, on June 19 and 20, freshmen Jacob Domingue, Chretien and Johnathan Knoeck will compete in the U.S. junior championships in Columbus, Ohio.

The five headed to Fayetteville this week will be vying for a spot in the NCAA's national championships which will take place June 11-14 in Des Moines, IA.

A year ago the Cowboys had two make it to the finals, pole vaulter Brad Gebauer and javelin thrower Chris Hill.

Christi McRae - NCAA participant

Both had national credentials heading into the meet. Gebauer had won the NCAA indoor pole vault title and Hill was ranked among the top three in the nation in the javelin. Hill, who set an American junior record last year, went on to finish fifth in the event at the NCAA meet while Gebauer did not place.

None of the McNeese entries in this week's regionals have a top 10 national ranking. Only the top five in each event will advance to the national meet.

Franklin, who finished second in the javelin at the conference championship, has the school's highest ranking for the mideast regionals. His best of 218-6 in the javelin ranks seventh in the region.

During practice this week, the Cowboy standout has gone 229 feet which will certainly send him to the finals.

"I think that Carlese has a good shot," said McNeese coach Brendon Gilroy. "Going off past performances in the regionals, a throw of 218 feet could get a spot."

John Jamail - NCAA participant

As for the other four, McRae is ranked 19th in the women's 400 meters, Chretien is 27th in the javelin, Hannie is 27th in the hammer throw and Jamail is 28th in the shot put.

All have posted career bests this season.

McRae ran one of the fastest marks for a Cowgirl in the 400 meters when she stepped off a 53.91 effort in the event at the Kansas Relays.

Chretien went 204-1 in the javelin at the Northwestern Relays, Hannie tossed the hammer 193-3 at the Northwestern State last chance meet for a new school record and Jamail had a best of 56-3 in the shot at Lamar's Ty Terrell Relays.

"We're going to have to perform above and beyond the call," Gilroy added. "You never know in a meet like this. If you can hold it together, you've always got a chance."

Ben Chretien - NCAA participant

As for the junior championships, Domingue, Chretien and Knoeck all qualified for the meet.

Domingue will compete in the shot put for which he has a best of 52-1 3/4 this season, having posted those numbers in the Cowoby Relays. Chretien will be in the javelin and Knoeck in the steeplechase for which he ran a 9:37.16 at the Texas Relays.