By Gavin Lapaille
While most students were lounging on couches, beaches or sleeping in, University of Louisville sophomore jumpers Andre Black and Tone Belt were hard at work. Both athletes took national titles. Black won the triple jump while Belt won the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“Before I came here, people said that they had never heard of Louisville in track and field, but we’re really doing some great things with our team,” said Black. “To have three more All-Americans and earn a top 10 finish is a credit to all of our coaches and their hard work. We’re climbing that ladder to be with the best teams in the nation and I think there’s only sunshine ahead for this program.”
Louisville sent four athletes to the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. for the NCAA Indoor Championships. U of L’s men’s side finished with 21 points and in a tie for 10th with University of Tennessee, Baylor University and Louisiana State University. University of Wisconsin won the overall men’s competition while Arizona State University took home the women’s crown.
Belt and Black represent Louisville’s first NCAA champions in any sport since 1986. Three U of L athletes earned All-American honors and the team broke a pair of school records.
“I’m extremely proud of our coaching staff and all of our athletes for what they’ve done to get to this point,” said U of L head coach Ron Mann. “It’s truly a team effort and this weekend is not only for the kids who were here competing, but for every kid on our team.”
On the meet’s first day, senior thrower Arthur Turland claimed eighth in weight throw, topping out at 68 feet 10.5 inches to become an All-American.
Belt and Black both qualified and competed in the long jump, concluding the first day of the meet for U of L. Belt won the event with a leap of 26-01.75, breaking his own school record while Black came in 14th with a jump of 24-01.75. Belt finished the indoor season undefeated in the long jump against collegiate competition and earned his third All-American honors, first in indoor competition.
“It feels very good to win this title,” said Belt. “I knew after I had the big jump on my second attempt that I had a great shot a top three finish and I was able to pull it off. My focus wasn’t on winning a national title for me or my own personal record, it was about doing whatever I could for this program to succeed.”
Emily Turland kicked off the second day of the meet throwing 64 feet 7.75 inches to capture tenth in the weight throw. Then Belt moved onto high jump and cleared the bar at 7-00.25, placing 12th overall.
Black closed out the meet for the Cards with championship in the triple jump. Black jumped 53-05.50, breaking his own school record by a foot while also being named an All-American for the first time of his career.
The win by Black was an upset, as going into the finals Black was seeded fourth before pulling out the victory.
“I’m blessed and that’s really the only word I can think of to sum up how I feel right now,” said Black. “The coaches told me that I had put in the work and made the sacrifice to be at this point and it feels great to see that pay off.”
Coach Mann, who has coached numerous national champions before Louisville, was excited about the results.
“I’m truly blessed to be at the University of Louisville,” said Mann. “We hope to have more and more athletes earn the opportunity to experience the national championships and to continue to compete on this national stage.”
Almost as soon as the indoor season is over, the outdoor season has already started. In the midst of March Madness, the team traveled to Arizona State’s Baldy Castillo Invitational. The two day meet
