Catholic schools’ finest prep for regional track meets

Four athletes who stood proudly on the top step of the podium at the 2016 LHSAA State Championship Track and Field meet return to represent their respective Catholic schools in the regional meets this week.
 
Eric Coston of St. Paul’s, Jandon Briscoe of Jesuit, Alysia Terry of Ursuline Academy and De La Salle’s Accord Green, who wore the uniform of Holy Rosary last year, will attempt to take that last step toward qualifying for the May 6 state championship meet at Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge.
 
Coston, the reigning Class 5A gold medalist in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs easily repeated as the District 6-5A champion in those events. His 1,600-meter time of 4:11.44 broke his 2016 winning time by more than five seconds. Coston’s 3,200-meter time of 9:34.23 was 20 seconds faster than his nearest competitor.
 
Coston was a contributor to St. Paul’s victory in the district meet. The Wolves scored 123 points, 86 of which came in running events.
 
Briscoe, the defending Class 5A 400-meter champion, was the top qualifier for the regional meet at Thibodaux in the 200-meter dash (21.47) and the 400 (47.75) and placed second in the 100 behind winner Terroll Jolla of St. Augustine.
 
Terry, the 100-meter hurdles champion in 2016, won that event at the District 9-4A meet last week in the time of 16.36. She also won the long jump and ran on the Lions’ winning 800-meter relay team.
 
And Green, who scored 30 points in the Class C championship meet for Holy Rosary in 2016, didn’t let stronger competition get to him.
 
He paced De La Salle’s showing in field events by winning the shotput and javelin and finishing second in the discus throw in the 10-3A meet last week.

Quality performances
The local Catholic schools made their marks in six local district meets last week. The top efforts came from the following:
 
DISTRICT 9-5A – Dominican scored 110 points to claim the girls’ team title.
 
Emily Doyle won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Dominican also won the 400- and 800-meter relays and four field events.
 
But the top individual performance came from Archbishop Chapelle in the form of sprinter Destinee Jeanpiere, who tripled by winning the 100- (12.12), 200- (25.07) and 400-meter dashes (1:03.83).
 
Brother Martin’s Hunter Appleton was the top qualifier in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Following on his heels was Crusader teammate Hayden Courrege.
 
Jesuit’s Jacob Torres was the district champion in both hurdles events. Torres’ and Briscoe’s combined 48 points helped Jesuit finish second in team honors.
 
DISTRICT 9-4A – Cabrini outpointed Ursuline Academy and three public schools to win the team title, 129 points to the Lions’ 118.
 
The difference between the two were Cabrini’s performances in field events, in which the Crescents outscored their uptown rival, 65-51.
 
But Ursuline had the top two competitors in Terry, who won her two specialties and finished fifth in the triple jump, and the versatile Kalee Jo Banks, winner of the 9-4A pole vault and part of the Lions’ two winning relay teams.
 
Cabrini won with numbers. In two events, the Crescents scored more points than the victorious Lions via combining second- and third-place points.
 
Individually, Cabrini’s Laura Klemm won the 1,600-meter run and placed second to Ursuline’s Nadia Haik in the 800, and Taylor Mumford was home first in the 100-meter dash and finished second in the 200.

The Crescents also scored 14 points on Bailey Braud’s winning shotput and Jailen Doyle’s second-place finish in that event. Doyle added seven more points in the discus and javelin throws.

DISTRICT 9-3A – The Academy of the Sacred Heart won 15 of 17 events and finished 1-2 in eight of them. In all, the Cardinals totaled 143 points.

Outstanding performances came from Claire Moreau, who won the discus, javelin, 100-meter hurdles and tied for first in the high jump; Mary Nusloch, the district 800- and 1,600-meter runs champion; and Kayla Broussard, who won the long jump and 100-meter dash before running legs on the Cardinals’ victorious 400- and 800-meter relay teams.

Moreau placed second in the high jump to teammate Ellie Silvia in the 2016 state championship meet. Silvia graduated that year.

DISTRICT 10-3A – Lusher Charter was the hot team in the boys’ and girls’ competition, but De La Salle sent a few qualifiers to the Class 3A regional meet at Jewel Sumner High.

Green was at the head of the Cavaliers’ list with 28 points.

Sprinter Myles Ward placed second in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and picked up a gold in the boys’ long jump with a winning distance of 23 feet,1 3/4 inches.

Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected].