BATON ROUGE -- After winning a combined three indoor track and field national titles, Senior Richard Thompson and sophomore middle distance runner LaTavia Thomas were named LSU male and female Student-Athletes of the Week this week.
Thompson led the men’s track and field team to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. over the weekend by winning the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.51 seconds.
Thompson narrowly defeated teammate Trindon Holliday (6.54) to win the first 60-meter title in LSU history.
He not only improved his school record in the event, but also set a new meet record while becoming the fastest man in the world in the 60-meter dash this season.
Thomas won two national titles of her own at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the first of her career.
She defeated defending-champion Alysia Johnson of California in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:05.07 and then ran a 52.63 split on the third leg of the Lady Tigers’ 4x400-meter relay team that won gold with a seasonal-best time of 3:31.14.
The 4x400 title is the fifth indoor title in school history and the 12th all-time, including outdoor.
LSU Male Athlete of the Week
Richard Thompson
Sprints
Sr. – Cascade, Trinidad
Senior sprinter Richard Thompson became the first athlete in the storied history of the LSU track and field program to win an NCAA title in the 60-meter dash this past weekend with a gold-medal winning performance at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Thompson set a new meet record for the NCAA Indoor Championships and improved his school record in the event after crossing the finish line in 6.51 seconds in both the preliminary round and the final. He also wrapped up the indoor season as the fastest man in the world in the 60 meters. This marks the first time in his LSU career that Thompson has been crowned an individual NCAA champion in an open event. He and fellow senior Kelly Baptiste were a part of a historic double as the duo became the first athletes from the same university to sweep men’s and women’s 60-meter titles at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
LSU Female Athlete of the Week
LaTavia Thomas
Middle Distance
So. – Philadelphia, Pa.
Sophomore middle distance runner LaTavia Thomas enjoyed a breakout performance at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend as she won her first career NCAA championship in the 800-meter run. After qualifying for Saturday’s final with the fastest preliminary time at 2 minutes, 6.30 seconds, Thomas beat defending champion Alysia Johnson of California to the finish line in the final with a time of 2:05.07. She is the first Lady Tiger to win an indoor national title in the 800 meters since LSU great Marian Burnett in 2002. Thomas added a second NCAA title to her resume on Saturday as she ran 52.63 split on the third leg of the Lady Tigers’ 4x400-meter relay team that won gold with a seasonal best time of 3:31.14. She helped the mile relay win its fifth NCAA indoor title in history and its 12th NCAA title all-time including outdoors.