COLUMBIA, Mo. – The LSU track and field teams took the next step in their journey toward Sacramento and the NCAA Championships on Friday by successfully defending their regional crowns at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at Walton Stadium. The top-ranked Lady Tigers captured their fourth regional title in the five years of the meet’s existence after blowing away the competition with 112 points for the weekend, while the No. 2-ranked Tigers successfully defended their crown after scoring a total of 70 points at the meet. The Tigers and Lady Tigers proved to be untouchable at this year’s regional championship meet after combining for 21 automatic bids to the national meet on the final day of the competition and a total of 24 in all. “We accomplished what we came here to do, and that was to get to Sacramento,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “It’s great that we were able to win, but the ultimate goal here is to always get to the NCAA meet. Our kids competed really well and I couldn’t be more pleased with that.” The teams got off to a fast start on the track as both 4x100-meter relay squads laid to rest any doubts of their regional supremacy by successfully defending their titles from a year ago. The men’s foursome of Jeremy Hicks, Richard Thompson, Marvin Stevenson and Trindon Holliday covered the course in a time of 39.53, while the Lady Tiger squad of Jessica Ohanaja, Samantha Henry, Brooklynn Morris and Sherry Fletcher battled an intense wind to carry the stick around the track in 44.60. Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers have dominated the sprint relay in the brief existence of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships as each squad has now won three titles in five tries. Ohanaja kept the ball rolling for the Lady Tigers as she won her first career regional title in the 100-meter hurdles with a new personal best time and the eighth-fastest time in school history at 13.02 seconds. She edged Michigan’s Tiffany Ofili in a photo finish as the Wolverine standout crossed the finish line in 13.03. With her effort, Ohanaja shattered the previous NCAA Mideast Regional record of 13.13 set by Molly Logan of Ohio State in 2003 while also establishing a new stadium record for the Audrey J. Walton Stadium at the University of Missouri. “I didn’t want a repeat from last year when I didn’t make it through,” Ohanaja said. “It was twice as sweet today because I ran a PR (personal record) and won the race. I made sure to concentrate on every hurdle and finish the race strong. I’m looking forward to running faster at nationals.” Holliday – LSU’s sensational sophomore – followed minutes later by setting a new regional record of his own and improving his existing school record in the 100-meter dash by clocking the fourth-fastest time in the world this season at 10.07 to take top honors in the event. He first broke the school record with a time of 10.08 in the finals at the SEC Championships on May 13. “I was a little tight coming in, but Coach Shaver told me to come out relaxed and run my race,” Holliday said. “He told me to make sure that I just listen to the gun and not false start. I did that and came out victorious. Now I have to get back home, train harder and get lower at nationals.” Senior Isa Phillips won his first career regional title in the 400-meter hurdles after winning his race by nearly one second with a time of 49.68, while sophomore Nickiesha Wilson claimed the women’s title in the intermediate hurdles with a new personal best time of 55.20 while holding off the nation’s top-ranked performer in Ajoke Odumosu of South Alabama. Freshman Katelyn Rodrigue highlighted the LSU’s effort in the field on the final day of the meet by breaking her own school record in the pole vault with a clearance of 13 feet, 3 ¾ inches to take second place in the event. This marks the second time this season that the New Orleans native has cleared 13 feet in the pole vault as she set the previous school record at the Penn Relays on April 26 with a then personal best clearance of 13-1 ½, while also breaking her own school record four times in three months. “I really wouldn’t want to jump against Katelyn right now with the confidence that she has,” Shaver said. “She could scratch us out a few points at the national meet if she is able to repeat that performance in two weeks. That was just a great effort that she gave today. She’s really been a tremendous asset to our team all season long.” The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Cynetheia Rooks, Tanya Osbourne, LaTavia Thomas and Deonna Lawrence closed the meet by successfully defending its regional title and winning its third relay crown since 2003 in a time of 3 minutes, 30.40 seconds. In addition to helping the Lady Tigers to a pair of regional titles on the afternoon, Wilson (third, 100 hurdles), Lawrence (third, 400 meters) and Thomas (third, 800 meters) also punched their tickets to the national meet in their respective specialty events. The Lady Tigers will be among the favorites to win a national title as Sherry Fletcher (second, 100; fourth, 200), Kelly Baptiste (fourth, 100), Samantha Henry (fifth, 200) and Andrea Linton (fifth, triple jump) will join their teammates after qualifying automatically on Saturday. On the men’s side, Alleyne Lett (third, 110 hurdles), Siraj Williams (third, 400 meters), Chad Radgowski (fourth, javelin) and Preston Chatham (fifth, javelin) earned automatic berths into the national meet on Saturday along with Holliday and Phillips. The men’s 4x400-meter relay team also earned and automatic bid as Williams, Stevenson, Armanti Hayes and Melville Rogers combined to finish in second place behind the foursome from Kentucky with a time of 3:04.67. This marks the first time in meet history that the Tigers have not won the regional title in the long relay. These 21 automatic qualifiers to the national meet join Hicks (long jump), Linton (long jump) and Shaunette Davidson (high jump), who each punched their ticket on Friday, to give LSU one of the largest contingents that will be making the trip in two weeks to Sacramento, Calif. The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will return to the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex on the campus of Sacramento State University for the third straight year as the four-day meet is scheduled to run from June 6-9. “We’re looking forward to lining up again two weeks from now,” Shaver said. “We have enough scoring opportunities with the women that we have a great chance to win a national title. It’s also going to be a dogfight on the men’s side. I’ve been more proud of this year’s men’s team than any that I’ve been associated with here at LSU with what they’ve accomplished this year.” NCAA Mideast Regional Championships Results |
