BIRMINGHAM, AL--It's been a year of constant setbacks—COVID, two hurricanes, no preseason practice—but finally, the McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls made their conference debut today at the Southland Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, AL.

The day started off at 9 a.m. with the Men's Heptathlon. Sophomore heptathlete Zhulien Monev finished the first day of competition in eighth place overall with pole vault, hurdles, and the 1000m left on Monday.

The sprint squad had many notable performances on the day. In the women's sprints, Dreunna Washington qualified for the finals in both the 60m (7.70) and 200m (25.00), Shania Anthony qualified for the Women's 800m final (2:18.73), and Kinnady Hawkins set a new personal best in the 60m hurdles (9.19).

In the men's sprints, Josh Raphael qualified for the 60m final (6.94), Kobe Nevills qualified for the 400m final (48.72), Matthew Harding qualified for the 800m final (1:52.96), and Olu Ogunyemi set a new personal best in the 60m hurdles (8.27).

Coming off a sixth-place team finish at the Southland Conference Cross Country Championship only a week ago, Pamela Kosgei (17:57.86), Bonnie Andres (18:02.37), and Alissa Lander (18:32.98) finished ninth, 10^th, and 14^th, respectively in the Women's 5000m. In the Men's 5000m, Gideon Cheplak (14:46.80), Jacob Kipkogei (14:57.92), and Henry Kiplagat (14:58.48) finished 11^th, 13^th, and 14^th. Joey Croft also qualified for the Men's One Mile final (4:18.16).

In the Field Events, Maja Gebauer finished fourth in the women's pole vault (11' 9"), and Kameron Aime finished ninth in the men's pole vault (15' 3"). Kira Benkmann finished ninth in the women's weight throw (51' ½"). Malaiya Jedkins finished 11^th in the women's long jump (17' 10").

"It's been a tough year for our athletes," said head coach Brendon Gilroy, "so we have to make sure that we make the most of the small victories. As a whole, our team standing was a little disappointing, but there were definitely some great performances throughout the day."

The Cowboys and Cowgirls return on Monday for the final day of competition. Live streaming of the meet is available on the Southland Digital Network and live results can be accessed online at xpresstiming.com.