BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman Iliass Aouani ran in and took the Southland Conference by storm while a battered women's team stepped up outdid expectations in the final day of the Southland Conference Indoor Championships where the Lamar University track and field teams competed at the Birmingham CrossPlex Tuesday.
 
The Cardinal men's team, led behind the league's high point scorer Iliass Aouani, finished in fifth place with 82 points and the women's team took fourth on 63 points. Sam Houston State took the league crown on both sides, followed by Abilene Christian on the women's side and Southeastern Louisiana on the men's side.
 
Aouani won Lamar's third-straight SLC High Point Scorer, fifth overall, after he claimed the 3,000-meter race title with an 8:12.97 mark. He was also the third-straight league 3K champion to hail from LU.
 
"He's unbelievable. He just took care of business every time he was on the track," said head coach Trey Clark. "He was always in control and dictated what happened around him.  It was a lot of fun to watch him work."
 
The way he won the 3K was in stark contrast to how he to the 5,000 meter event on Monday.
 
"He led wire-to-wire (Tuesday), which was opposite of what he did (Monday)," said Clark. "In the 5K, he sat back and paced that one before he took it. It is hard to beat a guy who can win both ways."
 
His two individual wins gave him 20 points, and he earned another 2.5 points from his anchor leg race with the championship distance medley race. Alex Dunbar earned his second, second-team all-conference honor with a second-place finish behind Aouani.  Dunbar finished with an 8:13.82 mark; he also was second in the 5000m.
 
Verity Ockenden led a team of 16 Cardinals who stepped up when it was needed most.
 
"It's hard to say I'm excited about a fourth-place finish, but I really am. With all the things that have hit us this season, going out and taking fourth is a tribute to our women," said Clark. "We only had 16 ladies, and when one fell short another would step up.
 
"I'm proud of their effort" he said. "We didn't bring a fourth-place team, but they stepped up and took it."
 
Ockenden, who was the high-point scorer a year ago, scored the same amount of points (22.5) as last year with championships in the 3000m and mile run on Tuesday.  She was also a part of the women's distance medley championship Monday.
 
The highlight of her day was setting the league's championship meet record with a 4:45.93 time in the mile. She bested former LU runner Clerc Koenck's mark of 4:47.16 set in 2008.
 
"She goes to indoor championships, and all she does is win gold medals.  She did everything we asked her to do and then some," said Clark. "She is just a great young lady that works hard and does everything that is asked."
 
She rounded out the day with a 3K time of 9:31.26, claiming the fifth-best time in school history and third-straight 3000m championship for LU.
 
Siliva La Tella, who set the school's long jump record twice this season, had a day in the triple jump winning second place on a mark of 40-6.75 and notching second-team All-Southland Conference honors.
 
"Silvia had a tough day (Monday), but she was able to rebound nicely (Tuesday)," said Clark. "She really came in focused and energized, which can be tough to do. If any of our ladies don't step up, we don't win fourth place.  She was great."
 
Alexandra Sokolova claimed third-team All-Southland Conference honors with a third place finish of 2:11.50 in the women's 800, the same event that men's runner Nathan Gillis took third in with a time of 1:52.24.
 
The women had nine All-Southland Conference performers and three championships, and the men had 10 all-league winners and three champions as well. Tobias Riker was an All-SLC performer in the mile with a 4:13.48, second-place time
 
"The men are now in the conversation as one of the elite teams in the conference," said Clark. "Sam Houston just went out and took the win, but the second through fifth teams were all neck-and-neck. For us to be in that was an improvement over last year, and now we just need to sustain that and learn how to win a championship.
 
"You have to be in the discussion before you can do that," he said.
 
Other scorers for the men's team were Stu Ferguson (five points, mile), Brendan Langley (eight total points, 60m and 200), Freddie Gasbarri (three points, mile), Gabriel Steffensen (three points, 3000m).  On the women's side, the 4x400 team placed sixth for three points along with Thai Williams (three points, 60m) and Georgia Tuckfield (four points, mile).
 
For athletes who have qualifying marks after all conference championships are completed, the 2016 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held Friday and Saturday, March 11-12 at the same CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., hosted by Samford University.
 
  
Cardinal Notables
Iliass Aouani – High Point Scorer, 3000m Champion (8:12.97)
Alex Dunbar – All-Southland Conference (3000m, 2^nd, 8:13.82)
Verity Ockenden – 3000m Champion (9:31.26), Mile Champion (4:45.93)
Nathan Gillis – All-Southland Conference (800m, 3^rd, 1:52.24)
Alexandra Sokolova – All-Southland Conference (800m, 3^rd, 2:11.50)⁴
Tobias Riker – All-Southland Conference (Mile, 2^nd, 4:13.48)
Silvia La Tella – All-Southland Conference (Triple Jump, 2^nd, 40-6.75)
 
Point Scorers
Thai Williams – 3 points – 60m – 6th
Brendan Langley – 3 points – 60m – 6^th
Georgia Tuckfield – 4 points – Mile – 5^th
Stu Ferguson – 5 points – Mile – 4^th
Federico Gasbarri – 3 points – Mile - 6^th
Brendan Langley – 5 points – 200m – 4^th
Gabriel Steffensen – 3 points – 3000m – 6^th
4x4 – 3 points – 6^th

Men's Final Team Standings

1.	Sam Houston State	121
2.	Southeastern Louisiana	98.5
3.	Stephen F. Austin	94
4.	Northwestern State	89.5
5.	Lamar	82
6.	Abilene Christian	59
7.	McNeese State	32
8.	Central Arkansas	24
9.	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	21
10.	UIW	19
11.	Houston Baptist	12
12.	New Orleans	10

           
Women's Final Team Standings

1.	Sam Houston State	162
2.	Abilene Christian	112.5
3.	Stephen F. Austin	106
4.	Lamar	63
5.	UIW	52
6.	Southeastern Louisiana	50
7.	Northwestern State	39
8.	McNeese State	24
9.	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	13.5
10.	Central Arkansas	13
11.	Houston Baptist	11
12.	Nicholls	9
13.	New Orleans	8

 

Individual Champions	Men's Champion	Mark	Women's Champion	Mark
60 Meters	Amir James, NWSU	6.76	Danielle Demas, SHSU	7.48
200 Meters	Chris Jefferson, SHSU	21.47	Aliyah Davis, SFA	23.92
400 Meters	Dontrell Lyons, SLU	46.80	Kimone Green, ACU	54.64
800 Meters	Jeffrey Moore, SHSU	1:52.00	Camry Grigsby, SHSU	2:09.68
One-Mile Run	Jeffrey Moore, SHSU	4:12.91	Verity Ockenden, LU	4:45.93
3,000 Meters	Iliass Aouani, LU	8:12.97	Verity Ockenden, LU	9:31.26
5,000 Meters	Iliass Aouani, LU	14:16.51	Alexandria Hackett, ACU	16:39.24
60-Meter Hurdles	Michael Nichols, UNO	7.97	Danielle Demas, SHSU	8.23
Distance Medley Relay	Lamar	9:57.20	Lamar	11:47.28
4x400-Meter Relay	Southeastern Louisiana	3:08.97	Sam Houston State	3:41.13
High Jump	Eric Moore, UCA	7-02.50	Caitlin Jones, SFA	5-07
Pole Vault	Devin King, SLU	17-11.25	Kenzie Walker, ACU	13-1.5
Long Jump	Emmanuel Williams, NSU	25-00.50	Sarea Alexander IW	19-04.75
Triple Jump	Aaron Williams, NSU	50-06.75	Porsha Thomas, NSU	42-04.00
Shot Put	Alexander Young, SLU	56-05.25	Kristine Hanks, SHSU	48-10
Weight Throw	Alexander Young, SLU	71-11.50	Ashley Jenkins, SHSU	70-9.25
Heptathlon/Pentathlon	Tyler Adams, SHSU	5,227	Avery Zamow, SHSU	3,582

 
Meet Records Set/Tied

Event	Name, School	Mark	Round
Women's Weight Throw	Ashley Jenkins, Sam Houston State	70-9.25	Finals
Pentathlon-800 Meter Run	Madeline Kaufmann, Stephen F. Austin	2:17.43	Finals
Heptathlon	Tyler Adams, Sam Houston State	5,277 Pts	Finals
Women's One-Mile Run	Verity Ockenden, Lamar	4:45.93	Finals
Men's Weight Throw	Alexander Young, SLU	71-11.50	Finals
Women's 800-Meter Run Women's 4x400-Relay Men's 4x400-Relay	Camry Grigsby, Sam Houston State Sam Houston State Southeastern Louisiana	2:09.68 3:41.13 3:08.97	Finals Finals Finals