FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- LSU senior Richard Thompson made history on the second day of competition at the Razorback Invitational as he broke his own school record in the 60-meter dash with a blistering time of 6.62 seconds at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
While making his first appearance in the 60 meters this season, Thompson matched Clemson’s Travis Padgett for the fastest time in the NCAA and became the first LSU Tiger to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Thompson’s previous school record of 6.64 set at the SEC Championships in 2007 did not even last one calendar year as he is looking for his first career All-America honor in the event in 2008.
“I didn’t expect to run as fast as I did in the final, not this early in the season,” Thompson said. “I’ve been doing a lot of strength work and a lot of endurance work in my training without a lot of focus on the speed aspect of the race. Coach (Dennis) Shaver and I have a plan for running a lot faster later in the season as we get ready for the NCAA meet.”
A native of Cascade, Trinidad, Thompson said it is a relief to have an automatic qualifying time under his belt so early in the season and now he can focus on improving in the coming months.
“It feels good to go ahead and get a qualifying time in this early,” Thompson said. “I wasn’t expecting anything like that coming into the meet. Now that I have my ticket to the NCAA meet, I can focus on improving the execution of my race. The times will come if I keep improving.
“I’m such a different runner now than when I came in as a freshman. I have a lot of faith in Coach Shaver and the LSU program and what I’m able to accomplish. I’ve come a long way since then.”
Senior hurdler Jessica Ohanaja is set to join Thompson at the NCAA Championships as she became the second Lady Tiger in the last two weeks to clock an automatic qualifying time in the 60-meter hurdles with a seasonal best 8.14. She joins teammate Nickiesha Wilson, who qualified with a time of 8.12 in the final at the Purple Tiger Classic last weekend.
Ohanaja blew away the competition for the title at the Razorback Invitational as she finished ahead of Jennifer Williams of Texas A&M (8.30). The native of Houston, Texas, opened with a strong provisional qualifying time of 8.27 in a runner-up performance at the Purple Tiger Classic.
“I don’t think I was as prepared as I should have been last week,” Ohanaja said. “I have nobody but myself to blame for that. I came into this meet more focused and with a better mindset to race. I listened to what Coach Shaver was telling me. I was more prepared to get something done.
“Now, I just have to work on the little things and improve my execution of the race. I need to listen to what Coach Shaver is telling me and prepare myself to get better each meet.”
Thompson and Ohanaja were not the only LSU athletes to shine on the second day of competition as three athletes and a pair of relay teams posted NCAA provisional qualifying times on Saturday. In fact, the Tigers and Lady Tigers combined for three automatic qualifiers and eight provisional qualifiers for the NCAA Championships, which return to Fayetteville on March 14-15.
“I thought our kids came out and competed well the entire weekend,” Shaver said. “We came up here and did some really good things. It’s important that we work on improving each time we step on the track, on the runway or into the circle. We did that this weekend.”
The Tigers look to be a force in the distance events in 2008 and sophomore John Kosgei showed why on Saturday after clocking the fastest mile in the NCAA to this point in the indoor season.
The native of Eldoret, Kenya, and transfer from South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, just missed breaking the four-minute barrier after leading for much of the race and pulling away from the pack on the last lap to finish in 4 minutes, 1.95 seconds. Kosgei ranks No. 9 in the world this season and moves into the No. 3 spot on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list in the event.
The Lady Tigers also saw a pair of 400-meter runners qualify provisionally for the NCAA meet as Wilson and sophomore LaTavia Thomas finished 1-2 in the event. Wilson crossed the finish line with the fastest time in the NCAA this season at 53.66, while Thomas was not far behind with a strong provisional time of her own at 53.99.
The squads wrapped up the competition with a bang as both 4x400-meter relay teams posted their first NCAA provisional qualifying times of the young season.
The men’s foursome of Reggie Dardar, Reuben Twijukye, Jamaal James and Armanti Hayes carried the stick around the track in 3:09.97. The women’s team of Juanita Broaddus, LaTavia Thomas, Kelly Baptiste and Deonna Lawrence followed with a provisional time of their own after hitting the tape in 3:37.19.
“This was a good next step for both of our teams,” Shaver said. “We got some great experience running on a banked track for the first time this season, and that experience will really pay off for us when we come back here for the SEC and NCAA Championships in the next few weeks.”
LSU will return to the Randal Tyson Track Center three more times during the indoor season as it plays host to the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 15-16), SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 29-March 2) and NCAA Indoor Championships (March 14-15).
The Tigers and Lady Tigers return home next weekend as they play host to the LSU Combined Events and the Bayou Bengal Invitational beginning Thursday at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse. They will then make their annual trip to New York on Feb. 8 to compete in the prestigious New Balance Collegiate Invitational at The Armory Track and Field Center.