Courtesy of LA Tech Athletics Communications

Track and Field

The Louisiana Tech men’s and women’s track and field programs closed out their third indoor competition of the year at the Stan Scott Invite & Multi at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas.

“I am really proud of my team and the coaching staff,” head coach Brian Johnson said. “We came here and competed well and showed that we belong with the top teams.”

The Bulldogs saw one program record broken by Jacob Tabor in the 600-yard run, clocking a time of 1:12.52 to take over the top spot from Chris Robinson’s time of 1:13.76 that was recorded during the 2020 season.

Oscar Smith and Kaitlyn Washington both finished at the top of their respective events; Smith was the victor of the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.82, and Washington recorded a personal-best 17.64 meters to win the women’s weight throw B group.

Sixteen personal records were set by 19 different Bulldogs, along 12 top-10 finishes seen by a LA Tech student-athlete.

“We are about four weeks away from the CUSA Championship meet,” Johnson added. “So as long as we stay healthy, we are going to do well at conference.”

LA Tech competes at their final regular-season meet on Friday, Feburary 14 and Saturday, February 15 at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Arkansas Razorbacks are slated to host the event at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Meet Notes

• Jacob Tabor set a new men’s indoor program record in the 600-yard run with a time of 1:12.52, breaking Chris Robinson’s then-record of 1:13.76 from the 2020 season
• Oscar Smith was the meet champion of the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.82
• Kaitlyn Washington was the victor of the women’s weight throw B group with a personal-best 17.64 meters
• Valentino Rudolph (2nd, 47.53) and Sabastian Bradley-Reed (3rd, 47.57) move into the program’s indoor all-time top three in the 400-meter
• Laeden Tucker (48.13), Cullen Hronek (48.43) and Philip Gray Jr. (48.57) also set new personal marks in the 400
• Nikoby Johnson lowered his mark in the 60-meter to 6.82
• Tibet Sancak set a new PR in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.07
• Shayann Demeritte ran a personal-best 7.65 in the 60-meter
• Osaretin Joy Usenbor (54.60) and Nia Wiley (55.53) broke their personal bests in the 400, with Usenbor finishing the event in sixth
• DeMarko Lawler Jr. raised his mark in the long jump to 7.21 meters
• Cobe Johnson improved his mark in the triple jump to 14.43 meters
• Valentino Rudolph (21.09), Tim Rummelhagen (21.56), Jaylon Owens (21.79) and Cullen Hronek (22.55) all set new personal bests in the 200-meter
• Osaretin Joy Usenbor (24.70) and Nia Wiley (24.76) shatter their personal bests in the 200-meter
• Sabastian Bradley-Reed joined Rudolph as the only two Bulldogs to finish among the top 10 in the 200
• LA Tech saw 12 top-10 finishes over the weekend
  • Kaitlyn Washington (Weight Throw [B] – 1st), Donald Lamp (Weight Throw – 6th), Oscar Smith (60-meter hurdles – 1st), DeMarko Lawler Jr. (Long Jump – 7th), Osaretin Joy Usenbor (400m – 6th), Jamara Patterson (400m – 9th), Oscar Smith (60mH – 1st), Tia Reder (Triple Jump – 9th), Cobe Johnson (Triple Jump – 9th), Valentino Rudolph (200m – 7th), Sabastian Bradley-Reed (200m – 9th), A’reil Williams (High Jump – 7th)
• The women’s 4×400-meter relay group, comprised of Jamara Patterson, Nia Wiley, Osaretin Joy Usenbor and Jenaia Williams, ran a 3:38.62 in the event, which is fast enough for fifth all-time in women’s indoor program history
• The men’s 4×400-meter relay ‘B’ group, comprised of Philip Gray Jr., Cullen Hronek, Mekhi Gammons and Jacob Tabor, posted a time of 3:14.52, which puts them in eighth on the all-time indoor program list

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Tennis

Louisiana Tech went up to Paducah, Kentucky for three neutral site matches and came away with three impressive wins, capped off by a 5-1 victory over Murray State on Saturday afternoon at the Paul Rowton Indoor Tennis Center.

After shutout victories over Austin Peay and defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Southeast Missouri, LA Tech (6-2) did not let off the gas in taking down the defending Missouri Valley Champion Murray State (1-3).

“What a great week of tennis,” said head coach Amy Sargeant.  “I was super proud of the team who stepped up.  We put our heads down and focused on being a great competitor, bringing a great attitude, and giving your best effort.  It showed up and down the lineup.”

The Bulldogs managed to grab the all-important doubles point thanks to the duos of Ana Rodrigues/Zoie Epps and Maria Tsironi/Alice Brook. 

Rodrigues and Epps came quick work on court one, winning 6-1.  Following the Racers 6-1 win of their own on court three, the opening point came down to court two where Tsironi and Brook prevailed, 6-4.

Murray State would tie the team match up at 1-1 though with a straight sets win at the No. 1 position in singles.   But it was all LA Tech after that. 

It was Epps that got the winning started in singles for the Bulldogs.  The sophomore kept her unbeaten streak alive this spring, downing Varya Alexeyeva by a score of 6-1, 7-5 at the No. 2 spot.

Giving LA Tech its third point was Alice Brook.  The freshman had another stellar performance, winning her fourth straight which was a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Yuna Kadowaki at No. 6.

Then came the clincher provided by Nina Skoric who bested Yu Kikawa at No. 4 by a score of 6-1, 7-6 (6).  Tsironi tacked on another point for the Bulldogs with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win against Bruna Melato at the No. 3 position.

The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five matches thanks to the three dominant victories in Paducah, a place where they won 12 of the 13 singles matches and seven of the nine doubles matches (won 30 of the 36 completed sets).
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus Murray State, 5-0.
• The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five matches.  It marks the third time in the last four seasons LA Tech has had a winning streak of at least five matches.
• LA Tech improved to 27-13 in dual singles and 15-7 in dual doubles.
• The Bulldogs are a perfect 6-0 this season when winning the doubles point.
• Zoie Epps improved to 8-0 on the spring season, having yet to drop a set.  It is tied for the fourth-best start to a dual season in the last 15 years.
• The duo of Ana Rodrigues and Zoie Epps went a perfect 3-0 at No. 1 doubles this week.  They have now won four straight.
• Ana Rodrigues won her 40th career dual doubles match, tied for the ninth most in program history.
• Nina Skoric provided the clinching point for the first time this season.
• Freshmen Alice Brook and Maria Tsironi each won their fifth dual singles match of the spring. 

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Bowling

The Louisiana Tech bowling team finished the weekend with a 9-3 record and a third-place finish at the Columbia 300 Saints Invite at Bowlero Lakeside on Sunday.

The 12th-ranked Bulldogs (56-33) went the full seven games in every match on the final day to go 2-1.

“This weekend, we really nailed it on the lanes,” said head coach Matt Nantais. “Our team is coming together at the perfect time, and we are excited to get back on campus and practice to continue our success the rest of the season.”

LA Tech opened the day against the host No. 11 Maryville. The Bulldogs won a low-scoring first game 181-137. The Bulldogs would shoot above 200 in the next three games, but the Saints would come away with a 3-1 advantage. The host took game two 235-205, game three 246-228, and game four 236-224.

With their backs against the wall, Louisiana Tech never gave up and continued to roll in the plus. The Bulldogs easily won the fifth 225-173. The sixth was closer, but the front four and a turkey in the eighth, ninth, and 10th put the game out of reach for Maryville. That would force a deciding game seven.

The Bulldogs struggled through the first half of the game with two opens and only one strike. The back half was a different story. LA Tech strung together a five-bagger before a 10-pin ended the run. That would be enough for the ‘Dogs to take the game 209-205 and the match.

That would set up a match with the defending USBC Intercollegiate Team champions, No. 7 Wichita State. Tech once again took game one, 233-183. The Shockers would win the next two, 225-210 and 217-205. The Bulldogs would bounce back and tie it up with a 191-169 win in game four. They would take the lead with a 233-215 win in game five. Game six would be a high-scoring affair, with Wichita State taking it 269-256. The Shockers were nearly perfect in taking game seven, 279-196.

Louisiana Tech would drop to the third-fourth-place game against No. 11 Sacred Heart. This time, the Bulldogs would drop game one but gave a valiant effort, 256-234. A 10-pin after a strike in the 10th and the successful conversion forced a tie in game two at 203. The Bulldogs continued to shoot in the plus with a 236 and 237 in the next two to go up 2.5-1.5. The Pioneers won game five 225-204 before Tech rolled a 211 to take game six and one game away from the win.

Tech saved their best game for last. After two eight counts, the Bulldogs closed out the tournament with 10 consecutive strikes for a 278 and claimed third.

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