NEW YORK -- The LSU sprinters and hurdlers lit up the track on the first day of the New Balance Collegiate Invitational as Kelly Baptiste and Jessica Ohanaja each set meet records and Richard Thompson set a new school record during Friday’s action.
Ohanaja got the ball rolling for the top-ranked Lady Tigers as she set a meet record en route to the title in the 60-meter hurdles, while Baptiste and Thompson swept titles in the 60-meter dash with record performances of their own at The Armory Track and Field Center.
“What those guys accomplished today says a lot about where they’re at right now,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “They’ve come so far since last year, and I was really pleased with the way they competed. That’s something I’ve seen since we opened the season.
“Both the men and the women have shown me the characteristics necessary to compete at the championship meets. It’s what you have to have to win, and it’s what being at LSU is all about.”
Ohanaja improved her already established NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 60-meter hurdles with a seasonal best time of 8.12 seconds in the final heat. After opening the competition with a time of 8.19 in the prelims, Ohanaja edged Natasha Ruddock of Essex Community College by one one-hundredth of a second for the title.
In fact, Ohanaja broke the meet record of 8.14 that she equaled in a winning effort a year ago after Alabama’s Beau Walker established the mark in 2006.
“It’s exciting to set a meet record at a meet like this, but I didn’t run as well as I should have in the final,” Ohanaja said. “I was probably a little bit behind after the third hurdle, but I kept my composure, tightened my form and quickened my steps over the last two. I stayed focused and got her at the end of the race.”
After Ohanaja wowed the crowd with her performance, Baptiste kept them buzzing by clocking the third-fastest 60-meter time in the world and the fastest time in the NCAA this season with a blistering 7.17 to nip teammate Samantha Henry (7.18) at the finish line and qualify automatically for the NCAA Championships in the event.
Like Ohanaja, Baptiste broke a meet record previously held by a member of the Crimson Tide as former Alabama standout Tahesia Harrigan set the previous mark of 7.19 in 2006.
Henry finished runner-up by the narrowest of margins as she set a new personal best and moved into the No. 3 spot on the school’s all-time performance list in the 60-meter dash. She also ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this season behind Baptiste.
“I was certainly pleased with what I saw from the women today,” Shaver said. “We really hadn’t seen that side of Kelly Ann to this point in the season, but she took her performance to another level and really ran well today. And Samantha continues to show improvement each time she steps on the track. She’s matured so much since the end of last season.”
Senior Richard Thompson got in on the action minutes later as he broke his own school record in the 60-meter dash for the second time this season.
With teammate Trindon Holliday nipping at his heels, Thompson crossed the finish line with the fastest time in the NCAA this season at 6.57 as he shattered his own school record of 6.62 set two weeks ago at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. Holliday was close behind in second place after setting a new personal best of his own at 6.61.
Thompson and Holliday are sure pack a strong 1-2 punch for the Tigers in the 60 meters in the coming weeks as they begin to build momentum for the championship season.
“This is actually the first time that the two of us have ever raced in competition,” Thompson said. “Trindon is such a great athlete and a great competitor that you have to be at your best to beat him when you line up against him. I’m sure we’ll continue to push each other to run even faster.”
Holliday agreed with his teammate that the duo has the potential to score big points for the Tigers as they look to compete for their first indoor national championship since the 2004 season.
“That was a great race between the two of us,” Holliday said. “It just shows that I have to work a little harder to get better, and that will come as I get in better shape. The two of us ran our best times today, and we’re only going to make each other better by competing against one another the rest of the season. We need to keep improving heading into NCAAs.”
In addition, a pair of Lady Tiger freshmen set personal bests in the consolation finals of both the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles. Kenyanna Wilson won her heat in the 60 with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.38, while Tenaya Jones shattered her previous personal best in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.44 to finish runner-up in her heat.
A pair of 400-meter runners also advanced to Saturday’s final in the event as senior Deonna Lawrence clocked the fifth-fastest preliminary time at 54.37, while sophomore Armanti Hayes qualified seventh on the men’s side with a time of 47.54 in his season debut.
The action continues Saturday at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational as the field events are set to get underway at 8 a.m. CT followed by the first events on the track at 8:05 a.m. Following its trip to New York, LSU will be on the road next weekend as it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the Tyson Invitational beginning Feb. 15 at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
