The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN just his freshman season, Grand Bahamian quarter-miler Henri Delauze has set his sights on lofty expectations for his initial NCAA campaign, including a conference title.

The 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Championships begin today and continue through Saturday (May 16) at the Mike Long Track on the campus of Florida State University. Delauze will compete in both the 200m and 400m.

The preliminaries of the men’s 200 metres are set to begin 7pm tonight and Delauze is slated to run in lane two of the second heat. The top finisher in each heat plus the next four best times will advance.

Delauze has recorded a season’s best time of 21.36s in the event.

In the 400m, action begins at approximately 6:40pm on Friday and Delauze will run in heat six, lane eight. He has posted a season’s best time of 46.81s thus far, run at the CARIFTA Track and Field Championships in April and eventually took bronze at the meet in 47.19s.

Ahead of his first outdoor conference championship, Delauze told SportsPageMagazine.com of his plans for this season at the collegiate and national level.

“My plan is to run 45 seconds by the end of the season. We have ACC Championships, which I’m training to win that in my freshman year. Ultimately, I’d like to make the Bahamian national team for the 2016 Olympic Games and add an Olympic gold medal,” he said. “I’m happy with how things have gone, but I can’t wait to find out what else I can do at Miami and for the Bahamas. I am excited to continue reaching for my goals.”

What he has done as a freshman was to make his mark in the Hurricanes’ history books during the indoor season. He finished third overall in the men’s 600m run at the Nittany Lion Challenge with a new school record time of 1:21.26s.

He also placed 11th in the men’s 400m at the McCravy Memorial Meet with a time of 47.68s, the third-best indoor 400m time in Hurricanes’ track history.

Delauze also placed eighth in the men’s 400m final at the ACC Indoor Championships with a time of 48.72s.

Following the conference championships, Delauze and the Hurricanes will move ahead to the NCAA East prelims and NCAA championships to bring an end to the collegiate season.

The Grand Bahamian native and graduate of Bishop Michael Eldon High School had a breakout 2014 season as a high school senior and as a member of several national teams.

At the recent BAAA end-of-year awards luncheon, Delauze won the Basil Neymour Most Outstanding Junior Male Track Athlete of the Year Award, the Errol Bodie Junior Male Athlete of the Year and the Bernard J Nottage Junior Athlete of the Year Award.

The 400m specialist completed his high school career with his best season to date, which included a silver medal at the 2014 CARIFTA Games in Martinique, silver at the CAC Junior Championships and highlighted by the country’s first track and field medal at the Youth Olympics with a bronze and personal best in 46.91s.