Photograph: Bethany Casey and Aaliyah Arvie of Westminster Christian Academy won first places at the state track meet. They are the St. Landry Now Athletes of the Week, sponsored by Tikey T’s. (Photograph by Bobby Ardoin.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
The 2023 high school outdoor track and field season ended without a St. Landry Parish team champion, but the parish nevertheless recorded a number of outstanding individual performances.
Parish athletes captured eight first places in four classifications, while the J.S. Clark Leadership Academy boys and Westminster Christian Academy girls teams captured third places in team scoring.
Here is a compiled list of the significant individual state track meet results for the athletes who were featured on the championship podium.
FIRST PLACE
Boys
Class B:Lawrence Pickney, J.S. Clark, (11.22) 100 meters
Class B:Lawrence Pickney, J.S. Clark (22.62) 200 meters
Class 3A:Wesley Moore, Northwest (50-7 ½) Shot Put
Girls
Class 1A Bethany Casey, Westminster (5-1 ¾) High Jump
Class 1A Eliana Manuel, St. Edmund (133-4) Javelin
Class 1A Rheagan Butler, Opelousas Catholic (17-2) Long Jump
Class 1A (Arvie, Casey, Janes, Lalonde), Westminster 4×100
Class 1A Aaliyah Arvie, Westminster (59.13) 400 meters
SECOND PLACE
Boys
Class B Cobe Brooks, J.S. Clark (129-6) Discus
Class 1A Owen Melancon, Westminster (4:43.25) 1600 meters
Class 3A Haywood Gallien, Northwest (147-4) Shot Put
Girls
Class 1A Aubrey LeJeune, St. Edmund (120-10) Javelin
THIRD PLACE
Boys
Class B (Arvie, R. Pickney, L. Pickney, D. Benjamin) J.S. Clark 45.72 4×100 meters
Class 1A Owen Melancon, Westminster (10:37.61) 1600 meters
Class 1A Parker Janes, Westminster (10.92) 100 meters
Girls
Class 4A Madison Flugence, Beau Chene (16-9 ¼) Long Jump
Class 3A Mashayla Lazard, Northwest (4-9 ¾) High Jump
Class 3A Aniyah Glover, Northwest (47.38) 300 meter hurdles
Class B Navaeh Redditt, J.S. Clark (32-6 ½) Shot Put
Class 1A (Gauthier, Janes, Arvie, Lalonde) 1:45.06 4×200 meters
