BATON ROUGE - Many LSU athletes used the LSU Twilight Invitational to rest in preparation of next week's SEC Indoor Championships, but many others took advantage of their opportunity to perform with LSU adding one new NCAA provisional qualifier and two improved NCAA provisional qualifiers during Friday's action at the Carl Maddox Field House.
Senior Will Coppage enjoyed his first NCAA provisional qualifying performance of 2010 on Friday night as he took second place in the men's long jump with a seasonal-best mark of 25-3.
Coppage now ranks No. 13 in the NCAA in the event as he becomes the third LSU long jumper to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships, joining automatic qualifier and national leader Zedric Thomas (26-3) and provisional qualifier Damar Forbes (24-11 ¾).
Sophomore Earnest Green also enjoyed an outstanding performance in the long jump on Friday night with a new lifetime best in the event. Green leaped 24 feet for the first time in his collegiate career as he posted a mark of 24-0 ¼ to earn a seventh-place finish in the competition.
Junior Melissa Ogbourne carried the torch for the Lady Tiger jumpers as she shattered her own overall PR in the triple jump by nearly two feet with consecutive jumps of 42-10 ¼ and 43-5 on her fifth and sixth attempts of the competition to win the event crown. Ogbourne, who entered Friday's meet with an indoor PR of 41-8 ½, improved her NCAA provisional qualifying mark with the No. 7 performance in the nation this season and the No. 7 indoor performance all-time at LSU.
Sophomore Michael Lauro kicked off this year's LSU Twilight with an impressive win in the men's 35-pound weight throw. On his second attempt of the competition, Lauro unleashed a new personal record of 67 feet, 9 inches to take first place in the event and improve his provisional qualifying mark this year with the No. 11 performance in the NCAA during the 2010 indoor season.
In addition to Lauro's outstanding performance in the 35-pound weight throw, junior Ross Roubion threw the implement 60 feet for the first time in his college career as he placed third with a PR of 60-7 ¾, which moves him into the No. 8 position on LSU's all-time indoor performance list in the event.
The Lady Tigers were also impressive in the throwing events as sophomore Samia Stokes won the weight throw title with the 25-pound implement, recording her second-best mark of the season at 59-1 ½.
Sophomore Brieanna Kennedy followed closely behind Stokes in the weight throw as she finished runner-up in the event with a new personal best and the No. 5 performance all-time at LSU at 58-8. But Kennedy would not stop there as she returned to action in the women's shot put and threw another personal best of 49-2 ¼ to earn her second runner-up finish of the meet with the No. 6 performance all-time at LSU.
"The regular season is now behind us and it's time for us to turn our attention to the championship meets, beginning with SEC Indoors next weekend," said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. "I'm pleased with how competitive our teams have been to this point in the season. This meet was another example of that. It was our intention to rest many of our athletes in preparation for the conference meet next week, but those who did have the opportunity today really stepped up for us.
"We must continue to show that same competitive fire and even take our performance to the next level for the chance to win a championship next weekend in the most competitive conference in the country."
Former LSU star and Olympic silver medalist Richard Thompson made his much anticipated 2010 season debut on Friday night at the LSU Twilight Invitational, and he did not disappoint those in attendance at the Carl Maddox Field House with his record-setting victory in the 60-meter dash.
After easing across the finish line with a time of 6.74 seconds to win his preliminary heat, Thompson tied the Carl Maddox Field House facility record of 6.59 in the final to win comfortably over Fred Rose of Hinds Community College (6.71) and freshman Johnathan Johnson of LSU (6.77).
The event also featured two-time Olympic bronze medalist Walter Dix, who elected not to run in the final after clocking the fastest preliminary time of the meet at 6.72 seconds.
Thompson, a native of Trinidad & Tobago who captured a pair of silver medals in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, is preparing himself for a successful run during the outdoor season as one of the top sprinters in the professional ranks.
"I'm a lot stronger this year than I was last year after my car accident. I feel just as strong as I did in 2008 when I won my Olympic medals," Thompson said. "Coach (Dennis) Shaver has put together a really good plan to continue to improve over the course of the year. I have so much faith in him that I believe I'll keep running faster this year and in the years to come. I'm looking forward to a great season.
"I'm not planning to run at World Indoors this year. My focus will be outdoors. I'm probably going to run some more 200s and 4x400s than I have in the past to help me develop the strength and endurance needed to take my performance to the next level in the 100 meters. I'm excited about that."
The Tigers and Lady Tigers open the championship season next weekend as they travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the 2010 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships to be held on Feb. 26-28 at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
The Randal Tyson Track Center will also serve as the host for the 2010 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships as LSU returns to Fayetteville on March 12-13.