Bouzigard making mark for Cajuns

The Houma-Thibodaux area has been awfully good to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette athletic department in recent years with names like Elijah McGuire, Trey Granier, Kim Grasso and others making big impacts for the Cajuns at the next level.

In track and field, a local talent is helping make his mark for the Cajuns, as well, riding high after a big season filled with successful finishes and personal records.

South Lafourche High School graduate and ULL javelin thrower Sean Bouzigard just finished his sophomore season with the Cajuns – a year which was filled with successes.

Bouzigard hovered around the 183-188-foot range throughout the season, then saved his best throws for last, unleashing a 197-foot, 8-inch toss at the Sun Belt Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

That throw secured a third-place finish for Bouzigard, who said he’s pleased with the way his career is unfolding so far.

“It’s going great thus far,” Bouzigard said. “It’s really an amazing feeling. I could remember making the podium at the high school state meets, but it’s nothing compared to making the podium at the college level.”

For Bouzigard, he’s had to battle adversity to get to this point in his career.

At South Lafourche High School, Bouzigard was a multi-event standout who scored points for a Tarpons team that competed favorably in several meets throughout the 2015 track and field season.

Bouzigard threw the javelin and discus for the Tarpons, routinely scoring points in both events.

As a junior in 2014, Bouzigard scored eight points for the Tarpons at the State Track Meet, posting a third-place finish in the javelin (179-feet) and a fifth-place mark in the discus (153-feet, 2-inches).

As a senior, Bouzigard plated eight more points for South Lafourche at the 2015 State Meet with a runner-up finish in the discus with a 155-foot, 6-inch throw.

Those successes, combined with great academic standing brought Bouzigard to UL-Lafayette, but his patience had to be tested before he could ever touch a javelin at the next level.

Bouzigard took a year off from track in 2016, then had a disc injury last August, which halted his progress.

But that didn’t stop the former Tarpon from continuing to progress and prosper in his craft.

As a freshman in 2017, Bouzigard made the podium once with a 180-foot, 9-inch throw at the McNeese Spring Time Classic, which was good for a runner-up finish at the meet. He also had a seventh place finish in the javelin at the McNeese Cowboy Relays and a 14th place finish in the discus at the Louisiana Classic.

Bouzigard said the biggest thing about performing at the next level is consistency. He said in high school, you could afford to make a bad throw or two because only a handful of people even had a chance to win the meet.

But at this level, all of the standouts from high school are lumped together and anyone can beat anyone on any given day.

“The competition,” Bouzigard said when asked to talk about the challenges of collegiate track and field. “Every meet, you compete in, there are always bigger, stronger guys, so your form has to be on point to keep up with them.”

As a sophomore, Bouzigard has made strides, shaking off his disc injury and showing some of the best throws of his career.

He started the season with a third-place finish at the McNeese Cowboy Relays in March with a 186-foot, 4-inch throw. He followed that up with a sixth place finish and a 189-foot, 6-inch toss at the Louisiana Classics.

After a 189-foot, 5-inch throw and fifth-place finish at the Tiger Track Classic, Bouzigard headed to the Sun Belt Outdoor Track and Field Championships with momentum and he saved his best for last.

At the conference championships, Bouzigard made a huge impact, posting his career-best 197-foot, 8-inch throw, which scored six points for his team – trailing just teammate Bartul Basic (216-feet, 4-inches) and UL-Monroe standout Cole McKnight (223-foot, 11-inches).

Basic is a senior, so Bouzigard will be asked to be one of the leaders for the Cajuns next season – a role he said he embraces.

Bouzigard said he’s going to work hard throughout the offseason to try and make sure he’s stronger and better equipped to throw deeper than he does now.

Bouzigard is also an Academic All-Conference Honor Roll winner who is majoring in exercise science with hopes of attending chiropractic school once he gets his undergraduate degree.

“Going forward from this year, my goals are to continue to hit my personal record,” Bouzigard said. “I want to make the Regional and possibly the national meet next year, as well. I just missed the Regionals mark this year by three meters, so I’ll be sure to get that by next year. I’m working hard toward that.”

Sean Bouzigard

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