July 3, 2012

NEW ORLEANS - When the Louisiana Sports Writers Association announced their 2012 All-Louisiana Track and Field squads, seven Green Wave student-athletes found their names among the state's best in their respective event. Estefany Cruz earned the only specialty award when she was selected as the Co-Freshman of the Year for her performance in the triple jump during the outdoor season.

The women's team grabbed five individual selections to the All-Louisiana squad and the men's team placed a pair of student-athletes on the team. Ana Ruzevic (Javelin) was the lone Green Wave performer to earn First Team All-State accolades, while Katherine Crabtree (5000 Meter) and Geoffery Zelek (10000 Meter) each earned Second Team All-State honors. Cruz (Triple Jump), Zandria Debowles (400 Hurdles), Melanie Mainor (High Jump) and Garrett Myer all earned a Third Team All-State nod.

Cruz had an outstanding rookie campaign for the Green Wave as she earned a spot at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the triple jump and earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. Her outdoor-best of 12.83 was the third best jump in school history and earned her Third Team All-State honors and her overall stellar season was good enough to bring home the Freshman of the Year award from the LSWA. The Guatemala City native became just the third women in Tulane history to clear the 13-meter mark when she landed a 13.03-meter leap at the Conference USA Indoor Championships. The rookie earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors during the indoor and outdoor campaigns, as well.

A pair of distance runners grabbed Second Team All-Louisiana honors, with Crabtree claiming the accolade in the 5000 meter and Zelek in the 10000 meter. Crabtree earned her first nod to the all-state squad by setting her career-best time at the 5000-meter distance at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships. The junior covered the distance in 18:04.79 and ran under 18:15.00 three times during the season. Zelek competed in all three distance races during the 2012 season and was the first runner to compete in the 10000 meter since the program was brought back in 2008. His time of 35:25.29 was the second best mark in the state and came at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships.

Myer capped his career with a selection to the All-Louisiana Third Team in the decathlon as he set the school record in the event at the Conference USA Championships. The senior posted a score of 5,615 points at the conference summit to move his personal best up by nearly 500 points. He set personal bests in three events and scored team points at the C-USA Championship for the third straight season.

DeBowles makes an appearance on the All-Louisiana squad for the second straight season in the 400-meter hurdles and Mainor earns her first selection among the state's best. DeBowles qualified for the NCAA East Regional for the second consecutive year and posted a season-best time of 59.38 in her specialty event. The senior earned third team honors this season after being a second team pick last year. Mainor owned the team's top high jump mark and set a career-best mark of 1.70-meters to move her into a tie for fourth on the all-time charts at Tulane. The sophomore cleared 1.60-meters in four of her five meets and jumped 1.65-meters twice during the year.

The LSWA team is based on a list of the top three times or distances in outdoor events, which serves as the All-Louisiana team in each event, with the specialty awards voted on by the states sports writers and sports information directors.

You can follow the Tulane track and field programs on Twitter (@GreenWaveTkFld) or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TulaneXCTF.

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