Track Teams Successfully Defend NCAA Regional Crowns

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The top-ranked LSU track and field teams took the next step in their journey toward the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday by successfully defending their regional crowns at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at John McDonnell Field.

The Lady Tigers have now won five regional titles in the six years of the meet’s existence as they blew away the rest of the 80 women’s teams in the field by scoring 119 points on the weekend.

The Tigers also captured the team title with ease after racking up 88 points over the course of two days of competition as they have now won three consecutive regional championships.

The squads proved to be the class of this year’s regional championships as they combined for a total of 21 automatic qualifying bids into the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on the final day of the competition and a total of 24 qualifiers during the two-day meet.

All athletes earning a top-five finish in an individual event and all relays finishing in the top three in regional competition qualified automatically for the NCAA Championships.

“We played what I like to call the game of the regional meet this weekend and I thought we came out of it in great shape,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “When it’s all said and done, we’ll have everybody at the NCAA meet that should score points for our teams. We tried not to overdo it too much this weekend, and our athletes responded by doing what they needed to do to qualify.

“I’m confident in saying that everybody who make a final at this meet will get an NCAA bid just based on their seasonal best performances coming into the meet.”

The Tigers were led once again by the performance of senior Richard Thompson, who continued to make even more history this season by becoming the first Tiger to sweep 100-meter and 200-meter titles at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in the six-year history of the meet.

Thompson, who is also the reigning SEC champion in both sprints, set a new meet record in the final of the 100-meter dash with a winning wind-legal time of 9.97 seconds. Teammate Trindon Holliday made it a 1-2 finish for the Tigers by finishing runner-up in 10.07.

Thompson then followed his personal best performance of 20.18 in the prelims of the 200 meters on Friday night by winning the event title in 20.21 on Saturday.

“Richard is a guy who really understands what is important for the success of our team by doing what he is doing right now in the 100 and the 200,” Shaver said. “He understands that it’s important for our team that he runs both to help us contend for a national championship. He came to us before we had to make declarations for this meet and told us that he wanted to help us try to win a team championship when we head to Des Moines in two weeks.

“That’s what sets him apart from a lot of athletes because many in his position would be worried about ‘me’ with the Olympics coming up this summer. He’s a guy who thinks of his team first.”

Fellow senior and Trinidad & Tobago native Kelly Baptiste gave LSU the sweep in the short sprints as she also took home titles in both the 100 and 200 meters, marking the first time in meet history that two athletes from the same school have won each event.

While running with a 3.5 meters-per-second tailwind, Baptiste broke the 11-second barrier in the final to win the 100-meter title in 10.97. She followed by setting a new wind-legal personal best in the 200-meter final with the eighth-fastest time in school history at 22.67.

Baptiste was not the only Lady Tiger to win a pair of regional titles on the afternoon as junior hurdler Nickiesha Wilson also scored 20 points for her team after sweeping titles in the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles with seasonal best performances in both races. She won her first career regional title in the 100 hurdles with a slightly wind-aided time of 12.63 before blowing away the competition in the final of the 400 hurdles with a seasonal best 55.71.

The Lady Tigers also added two relay titles during Saturday’s action as they won both the 4x100 (43.60) and 4x400 (3:32.22) to give LSU eight event wins for the meet.

LSU athletes not only turned in spectacular performances on the track, but in the field as well as the Tigers and Lady Tigers added four NCAA qualifiers in the pole vault and triple jump.

Sophomore Josh Dominguez proved to be the Tigers’ top performer in the field on the final day of competition by earning an automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Championships with a third-place finish in the pole vault. This marks the first time in his brief career in an LSU uniform that Dominguez will wear the purple and gold at the national meet.

Dominguez, who entered the meet ranked No. 48 in the nation with a seasonal best of 16 feet, 10 ¾ inches, cleared a new personal best height of 17-5 to move into the nation’s Top 20 and into a tie for the No. 7 spot on the school’s all-time list in the event.

The native of Ponchatoula, La., stayed alive in the competition by clearing bars at 17-1 and 17-5 on his third and final attempt at each height.

LSU was also led by top-five finishes in the triple jump by senior Andrea Linton, senior Nedra Gross and freshman Zedric Thomas. Linton has earned All-America honors in the event in each of the last two seasons, while Gross and Thomas will each be making their first career appearance in the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Linton, who has suffered from stress fractures in her legs for much of the outdoor season, finished runner-up with a wind-aided mark of 44-5 ¼.

Gross followed closely behind in third place with a windy jump of 43-8, while Thomas earned the fifth automatic qualifying spot in the men’s competition with a wind-legal personal best of 52-3 ¼ on his final jump, improving his previous personal best of 50-2 by more than two feet.

“We had some people really step it up today, especially in the jumps,” Shaver said. “It was very important for us to get three additional people through in an event like the triple jump because if they repeat those performances at the national meet, then they will put themselves in a position to score for our team. You can’t score points for us if you’re not in the meet.

“I was also really proud of Josh for the way he competed today. You could tell how determined he was to make it to the NCAA meet by clearing those bars on his last attempt. I think that says a lot about the fight that he had in him today, and hopefully he can carry that with him to NCAAs.”

The Lady Tigers will be among a handful of favorites to win a national championship as LaTavia Thomas (second, 800 meters), Jessica Ohanaja (third, 100 hurdles), Angel Boyd (fourth, 100 hurdles), Juanita Broaddus (fourth, 100 meters) and Kenyanna Wilson (fifth, 100 meters) will join their teammates after qualifying automatically on Saturday.

On the men’s side, Elkana Kosgei (second, 800 meters), John Kosgei (fourth, 1,500 meters) and Ryan Fontenot (fourth, 110 hurdles) earned automatic berths into the national meet on Saturday along with Thompson, Holliday, Dominguez and Thomas.

These 21 automatic qualifiers to the national meet join Preston Chatham (javelin), Ricky Jean-Francois (shot put) and Chad Radgowski (javelin), who each punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships on Friday to give LSU one of the largest contingents that will be making the trip to Des Moines, Iowa, in two weeks.

“We came out of this meet in great shape, and we’re actually leaving here with about five more NCAA qualifiers on both teams than we thought we would have coming in,” Shaver said. “It’s now our job to get our kids ready and prepared to make a run at the championship in two weeks.”

The race to be crowned this year’s national champion will begin June 11 as the nation’s best track and field athletes will come together in Des Moines, Iowa, for the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University. The meet will be contested over the course of four days and is scheduled to wrap up June 14.

2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships Results
Saturday at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark. (All race distances in meters)

Men’s

100
1. Richard Thompson, LSU, 9.97; 2. Trindon Holliday, LSU, 10.07; 3. J-Mee Samuels, Arkansas, 10.08; 4. Evander Wells, Tennessee, 10.08; 5. Rubin Williams, Tennessee, 10.12; 6. Gordon McKenzie, Kentucky, 10.23; 7. Kendall May, Mississippi State, 10.24; 8. Rickie Bratton, Ole Miss, 10.47.

200
1. Richard Thompson, LSU, 20.21; 2. Evander Wells, Tennessee, 20.25; 3. J-Mee Samuels, Arkansas, 20.32; 4. Rubin Williams, Tennessee, 20.48; 5. Jose Acevedo, Kentucky, 20.58; 6. Gabriel Mvumvure, LSU, 20.83; 7. Adam Harris, Michigan, 20.90; 8. Gavin Smellie, Western Kentucky, 24.80.

400
1. Jamil Hubbard, Mississippi State, 45.72; 2. O’Neal Wilder, Mississippi State, 46.20; 3. Stann Waithe, Michigan, 46.25; 4. Gakologelwang Masheto, Illinois, 46.46; 5. Terrill McCombs, Western Kentucky, 46.61; 6. Armanti Hayes, LSU, 46.63; 7. Cornelius Duncan, Southern Mississippi, 46.65; 8. Mile Smith, Southeast Missouri State, 48.53.

800
1. Golden Coachman, Mississippi State, 1:48.07; 2. Elkana Kosgei, LSU, 1:48.10; 3. Alex McClary, Arkansas, 1:48.49; 4. Chris Woods, Mississippi State, 1:48.54; 5. Adam Currie, Notre Dame, 1:48.56; 6. Yarrick Kincaid, Tennessee, 1:48.62; 7. Jamaal James, LSU, 1:48.87; 8. Chris Danks, Louisville, 1:49.48.

1,500
1. Craig Miller, Wisconsin, 3:47.57; 2. Jack Bolas, Wisconsin, 3:48.05; 3. Jeff See, Ohio State, 3:48.23; 4. John Kosgei, LSU, 3:48.31; 5. Kurt Benninger, Notre Dame, 3:48.41; 6. Evan Jager, Wisconsin, 3:48.99; 7. Andy McClary, Arkansas, 3:49.03; 8. John Richardson, Kentucky, 3:49.34.

110 hurdles
1. Ty Akins, Auburn, 13.44; 2. Mikel Thomas, Kentucky, 13.57; 3. Josh Hembrough, Purdue, 13.58; 4. Ryan Fontenot, LSU, 13.58; 5. John Yarbrough, Ole Miss, 13.69; 6. Charlton Rolle, Tennessee, 13.78; 7. Kazmere Hill, Arkansas State, 13.88; 8. Leander McKenzie, Troy, 13.92.

400 hurdles
1. Rueben McCoy, Auburn, 50.12; 2. Eric Alejandro, Eastern Michigan, 50.51; 3. Chad Leath, Northwestern State, 50.74; 4. Nathaniel Hughes, Alcorn State, 50.77; 5. Nick Ivancic, Kent State, 51.23; 6. Lee Moore, Ole Miss, 51.31; 7. Daniel Harmsen, Michigan, 51.43; 8. Emmanuel Mayers, Mississippi State, 52.22.

Steeplechase
1. Peter Kosgei, Arkansas, 8:33.42; 2. Barnabas Kirui, Ole Miss, 8:41.30; 3. Scott MacPherson, Arkansas, 8:52.14; 4. Ryan Gasper, Wisconsin, 8:55.16; 5. Brandon Bethke, Wisconsin, 8:57.84; 6. Abraham Kutingala, Alabama, 8:59.83; 7. Josh Karanja, Eastern Michigan, 9:00.46; 8. Stanley Mugo, Eastern Kentucky, 9:00.89.

4x100
1. Tennessee, 38.98; 2. Louisiana Tech, 39.66; 3. Arkansas, 39.70; 4. Kentucky, 39.72; 5. Michigan, 40.06; 6. Indiana, 40.26; 7. Mississippi State, 40.89; 8. LSU, 44.79.

4x400
1. Mississippi State, 3:05.62; 2. Michigan, 3:05.79; 3. Western Kentucky, 3:05.93; 4. Louisiana Tech, 3:07.48; 5. Jackson State, 3:07.57; 6. Southern Illinois, 3:08.03; 7. Illinois, 3:08.59; 8. Tennessee, 3:09.43.

Pole Vault
1. Joseph Berry, Tennessee, 17-9; 2. Eric Sparks, Purdue, 17-9; 3. Josh Dominguez, LSU, 17-5; 4. Jeff Coover, Indiana, 17-1; t5. Andrew Zollner, Illinois, 17-1; t5. Ben Pax, Purdue, 17-1; 7. Brian Hancock, Missouri, 17-1; 8. Shane Shockey, Cincinnati, 17-1.

Triple Jump
1. Nkosinza Balumbu, Arkansas, 54-1 ¾; 2. Kyle Jenkins, Indiana, 53-0 ¾; 3. Andre Black, Louisville, 52-6 ¾; 4. Steve Daniel, Indiana State, 52-3 ¾; 5. Zedric Thomas, LSU, 52-3 ¼; 6. Daniel Quinn, Arkansas, 51-4 ½; 7. Kyron Foster, Michigan State, 51-0 ¾; 8. Michael Rheams, Southeastern Louisiana, 50-11.

Discus
1. Rashaud Scott, Kentucky, 199-10; 2. Zach Clayton, Auburn, 191-11; 3. Andy Fryman, Kentucky, 188-0; 4. Auston Papay, Akron, 184-4; 5. Teremaine White, Southeastern Louisiana, 183-2; 6. Edis Ekasevic, Auburn, 183-2; 7. John Harper, Kent State, 183-0; 8. Nick Panezich, Tennessee, 178-4.

Hammer
1. Cory Martin, Auburn, 239-10; 2. Jake Dunkleberger, Auburn, 222-6; 3. Chris Rohr, Missouri, 220-10; 4. Steffen Nerdal, Memphis, 218-6; 5. Jason Morris, Missouri, 213-11; 6. Andy Fryman, Kentucky, 210-4; 7. Jaroslaw Zakrzewski, Kent State, 209-1; 8. Rabun Fox, LSU, 209-0.

TEAM STANDINGS (19 events scored)
1. LSU, 88; 2. Auburn, 73; 3. Arkansas, 69; t4. Tennessee, 51; t4. Kentucky, 51; 6. Mississippi State, 48; 7. Wisconsin, 30; 8. Purdue, 29.5; 9. Michigan, 22; t10. Louisville, 19; t10. Indiana, 19; t10. Ole Miss, 19.

Women’s

100
1. Kelly Baptiste, LSU, 10.97; 2. Lynne Layne, Tennessee, 11.11; 3. Jeneba Tarmoh, Tennessee, 11.21; 4. Juanita Broaddus, LSU, 11.30; 5. Kenyanna Wilson, LSU, 11.31; 6. Tawanna Meadows, Troy, 11.31; 7. Samantha Henry, LSU, 11.36; 8. Jenny Knox, East Tennessee State, 11.55.

200
1. Kelly Baptiste, LSU, 22.67; 2. Jeneba Tarmoh, Tennessee, 22.94; 3. Lynne Layne, Tennessee, 23.12; 4. Trish Bartholomew, Alabama, 23.12; 5. Cache Armbrister, Auburn, 23.13; 6. Lynette Rives, Belmont, 23.31; 7. Samantha Henry, LSU, 23.45; 8. Juanita Broaddus, LSU, 24.07.

400
1. Trish Bartholomew, Alabama, 51.58; 2. Jenna Griffin, Ohio State, 52.00; 3. Dominique Holmes, Tennessee State, 52.28; 4. Kenyata Coleman, Ole Miss, 52.32; 5. LaJada Baldwin, Ole Miss, 52.51; 6. Brooklynn Morris, LSU, 52.74; 7. Deonna Lawrence, LSU, 52.74; 8. Latonya Loche, Tennessee, 53.67.

800
1. Geena Gall, Michigan, 2:03.64; 2. LaTavia Thomas, LSU, 2:04.06; 3. Becky Horn, Western Michigan, 2:04.75; 4. Phoebe Wright, Tennessee, 5. Leander Ernest, Missouri State, 2:08.47; 6. Jessica Ortman, Kentucky, 2:09.01; 7. Kayann Thompson, LSU, 2:09.55; 8. Trisa Nickoley, Missouri, 2:17.37.

1,500
1. Dacia Barr, Arkansas, 4:13.16; 2. Sarah Bowman, Tennessee, 4:14.06; 3. Nicole Edwards, Michigan, 4:18.78; 4. Ann Detmer, Wisconsin, 4:19.31; 5. Tarah McKay, Louisville, 4:25.25; 6. Cassie Peller, Marquette, 4:28.29; 7. Larisa Arcip, Akron, 4:28.67; 8. Jillian Rosen, Arkansas, 4:30.03.

100 hurdles
1. Nickiesha Wilson, LSU, 12.63; 2. Tiffany Ofili, Michigan, 12.84; 3. Jessica Ohanaja, LSU, 12.91; 4. Angel Boyd, LSU, 12.93; 5. LaNeisha Waller, Illinois, 12.94; 6. Marrissa Harris, Mississippi State, 13.05; 7. Courtney Johnson, Indiana, 13.24; 8. Charnee Lumbus, Michigan, 13.52.

400 hurdles
1. Nickiesha Wilson, LSU, 55.71; 2. Danielle Brown, Western Michigan, 57.18; 3. Erica Moore, Indiana State, 57.33; 4. Amelia Anderson, Auburn, 58.00; 5. Danielle Gilchrist, Auburn, 58.06; 6. Briana Cunningham, Illinois, 58.20; 7. Amber Hay, Michigan, 58.94; 8. Katie LaValley, Michigan, 59.21.

Steeplechase
1. Danelle Woods, Illinois, 10:32.83; 2. Chantelle Groenewoud, Illinois, 10:35.88; 3. Sarah Price, Michigan State, 10:35.91; 4. Jamie Vest, Missouri State, 10:35.94; 5. Megan Jackson, Arkansas, 10:35.94; 6. Sarah Hurley, Wisconsin, 10:36.00; 7. Caroline Peyton, Arkansas, 10:51.75; 8. Andrea Halasek, Kentucky, 10:56.90.

4x100
1. LSU, 43.60; 2. Tennessee, 44.16; 3. Ole Miss, 44.59; 4. Western Kentucky, 45.05; 5. Mississippi State, 45.30; 6. Alabama, 45.65; 7. Illinois, 45.65.

4x400
1. LSU, 3:32.22; 2. Ohio State, 3:32.26; 3. Ole Miss, 3:32.77; 4. Western Michigan, 3:33.57; 5. Western Kentucky, 3:35.37; 6. Arkansas, 3:35.71; 7. Michigan, 3:35.95; 8. Louisiana Tech, 3:36.98.

High Jump
1. Brittney Reese, Ole Miss, 6-0 ½; 2. Carmia Carroll, Ole Miss, 5-11 ¼; 3. Rachel Gehret, Louisville, 5-11 ¼; 4. Heather Davis, UL-Monroe, 5-11 ¼; t5. Kristina Bolterstein, Miami-Ohio, 5-9 ¼; t5. Megan Seidl, Wisconsin, 5-9 ¼; 7. Nicole Knox, South Alabama, 5-9 ¼; 8. Raevan Harris, Auburn, 5-9 ¼.

Triple Jump
1. Sarah Nambawa, Middle Tennessee State, 44-5 ½; 2. Andrea Linton, LSU, 44-5 ¼; 3. Nedra Gross, LSU, 43-8; 4. Lauren Martin, Indiana State, 43-4 ¼; 5. Ashley May, Southern Mississippi, 42-3 ¼; 6. Casey Taylor, Michigan, 42-1 ½; 7. Melissa Ogbourne, LSU, 41-8; 8. Agata Cichoszewska, Troy, 41-7 ¼.

Shot Put
1. Susan King, Memphis, 57-9; 2. Jere Summers, Louisville, 55-5 ½; 3. Annie Alexander, Tennessee, 55-5; 4. Nadia Alexander, Louisiana Tech, 54-4 ½; 5. Levania Henderson, Kent State, 53-7 ¾; 6. Aja Evans, Illinois, 53-4 ½; 7. Stacey Wannemacher, Purdue, 53-2 ¾; 8. Bahiyjaui Allen, Ohio, 52-2 ¾.

Javelin
1. Kara Patterson, Purdue, 174-7; 2. Hana Prudilova, Southern Mississippi, 164-3; 3. Melissa Fraser, DePaul, 162-6; 4. Bekah Stoltz, Kent State, 158-11; 5. Zoe Pelbart, Michigan State, 155-0; 6. Anna Lyons, LSU, 152-0; 7. Samantha Espiricueta, Southeast Missouri State, 151-6; 8. Meghan Austin, Alabama, 146-1.

TEAM STANDINGS (19 events scored)
1. LSU, 119; 2. Tennessee, 66; 3. Ole Miss, 49; 4. Michigan, 41; 5. Illinois, 40; 6. Purdue, 32; 7. Arkansas, 27; 8. Louisville, 26; 9. Alabama, 23; 10. Ohio State, 22.