UCSON, Ariz. -- Senior Ryan Fontenot and freshman Gabriel Mvumvure clocked new personal bests in their respective events to headline a group of 14 LSU track and field athletes who earned NCAA regional qualifying marks Saturday at the Willie Williams Classic.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers wrapped up their outdoor season opener at Drachman Stadium with a total of 20 qualifiers for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships during the two-day meet.
“This was a pretty good start for us to the outdoor season,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “We had the opportunity to rest a lot of people who competed at the NCAA Indoor meet last weekend, but those athletes who did compete this weekend went out and got something done.”
Fontenot was the first to record a new personal record on the afternoon as he lined up in the final of the 110-meter hurdles and crossed the finish line in first place with the sixth-fastest time in school history at 13.68 seconds, crushing his previous personal best of 13.87 recorded a year ago at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in Columbia, Mo.
Fontenot has enjoyed a breakout senior season as he has already set a new indoor school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a top time of 7.69 in the prelims at the NCAA Championships.
“That was as good a transition from the indoor season to the outdoor season for a sprint hurdler that I’ve ever seen in my coaching career,” Shaver said. “It even looked to me like Ryan’s blocks slipped on him at the start. He did very well to recover from that and finish the race strong.”
Mvumvure followed with a new PR of his own as he won the meet’s 100-meter title with a wind-legal time of 10.37 in his first ever 100-meter race on American soil. The native of Harare, Zimbabwe, enrolled at LSU for the spring semester after winning the 100 meters at the African Junior Championships last summer with a previous personal best of 10.45.
Mvumvure is also qualified to run the 200 meters at the regional meet following his performance on Friday night in which he won the event title with a season opening time of 21.23.
“Gabriel is a very talented young man, and we are expecting great things from him during his career here at LSU,” Shaver said. “He ran his first 100-meter race on American soil and ran a new personal best. I couldn’t have asked for any more from him in his first outdoor meet at this level.”
Junior Rabun Fox got it going early for the Tigers with a regional qualifying mark in the hammer throw as he finished the event in third place with an effort of 198 feet, 11 inches. Fox, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, equaled his personal best that he set in a second-place finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships in 2006.
Senior Reggie Dardar (400 meters, 46.85) and junior Patrick Lee (110 hurdles, 14.29) also added their names to the Tigers’ regional roster on the second day of the competition.
Senior All-American Brooklynn Morris led the Lady Tigers’ effort during Saturday’s action as the Houston native clocked a regional qualifying time of 53.29 in the 400 meters in just her third time running the open quarter in an LSU uniform. Morris has been a mainstay on LSU’s 4x400-meter relay as she has earned four All-America honors and two NCAA titles in the event.
“Brooklynn has been outstanding on our relay going on four years now, but we’ve only run her in the open quarter a handful of times in her career,” Shaver said. “That was a great run by her today and I’m happy for her to come out in her first outdoor meet as a senior and run that well.”
The Lady Tigers also qualified two relay teams into the regional meet as Angel Boyd, Monique Cabral, Kristina Davis and Kenyanna Wilson clocked a time of 44.67 in the 400-meter relay, while the foursome of Brittany Hall, Juanita Broaddus, Kayann Thompson and Deonna Lawrence qualified in the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3 minutes, 38.71 seconds.
Wilson (100 meters, 11.64), Boyd (100 hurdles, 13.43), Hall (400 meters, 54.26) and Lawrence (400 meters, 53.44) also qualified in open events, while freshmen Tenaya Jones (100 hurdles, 13.82) and Brittani Carter (high jump, 5-8 ¾) were also regional qualifiers on the afternoon.
“We got off to a pretty good start this week. Now we look forward to getting back home and putting together our relay teams for the LSU Relays and the Texas Relays in the next few weeks,” Shaver said. “That’s the next step in the process for our teams.”
The Tigers and Lady Tigers will return home next weekend to play host to the LSU Tiger Relays at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium as the two-day meet is scheduled to run from March 30-31. The squads will then head to Austin, Texas, to compete in the prestigious 81st Texas Relays from April 3-5 at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
LSU’s Qualifiers for the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships (March 22, 2008)
Men
Athlete, Event, Time/Mark
Preston Chatham, Javelin, 220-11
Reggie Dardar, 400 meters, 46.85
Ryan Fontenot, 110 hurdles, 13.68
Rabun Fox, Hammer, 198-5
Armanti Hayes, 200 meters, 21.28
Patrick Lee, 110 hurdles, 14.29
Gabriel Mvumvure, 100 meters, 10.37
Gabriel Mvumvure, 200 meters, 21.23
Chad Radgowski, Javelin, 213-6
Women
Athlete, Event, Time/Mark
Angel Boyd, 100 hurdles, 13.43
Brittani Carter, High Jump, 5-8 ¾
Brittany Hall, 400 meters, 54.26
Tenaya Jones, 100 hurdles, 13.82
Deonna Lawrence, 400 meters, 53.44
Anna Lyons, Javelin, 149-6
Brooklynn Morris, 400 meters, 53.29
Kim Williams, Hammer, 183-0
Kenyanna Wilson, 100 meters, 11.64
Boyd, Cabral, Davis, Wilson; 4x100-meter relay; 44.67
Hall, Broaddus, Thompson, Lawrence; 4x400-meter relay; 3:38.71