HOUSTON – McNeese track and field completed day one of the 2025 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday with several points scored and a handful of athletes advancing in their respective events.
 
The meet, held at Rice University, will continue Friday and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Cowboy sprinter Kalen Beavers qualified for the 200-meter finals after he clocked a personal record time of 20.96 (.953) to finish second in his heat and fourth overall. The finals will take place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
 
Jaden Powell advanced to the finals of the men's 400m after running a season-best time of 51.78 to finish first in his heat and first overall. He'll run in the finals at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday.
 
The following athletes scored on Thursday:
• Tyler Challis, 4^th in the men's hammer.
• Marcus Francis, 5^th in men's hammer.
• Ta'Khara Johnson, 6^th in women's hammer.
• Jaslyn Russell, 7^th in women's hammer.
• Darren Taylor, 6^th in men's javelin.
• Tanny Beard, 8^th in men's javelin.
 
Team scoring:
• Through four events scored on the day for the men, McNeese is in 6^th place with 13 points.
• Through three scoring events for the women, McNeese is 7^th with five points.