BATON ROUGE – The foundation of any championship program is built by recruiting the very best student-athletes the sport has to offer, and the LSU track and field program looks to continue its dominance in the years to come with the signing of nine prep standouts to National Letters of Intent during the early part of the spring signing period. The Tigers have signed a pair of high school stars who will look to make an immediate impact in 2010, while the Lady Tigers have added seven standouts of their own. Jumper Damar Forbes of Decatur, Ga., and sprinter Rynell Parson of San Antonio, Texas, hope to contribute as freshmen for the Tigers as they sign with LSU as two of the nation’s top performers in their respective events for the Class of 2009. The Lady Tigers welcome the addition of sprinters Naffene Briscoe of St. Catherine, Jamaica, Nyosha Bryant of Charlotte, N.C., Kimberlyn Duncan of Katy, Texas, and Takeia Pinckney of Atlanta, Ga.; middle distance runner Charlene Lipsey of Hempstead, N.Y.; thrower Abbey Karin of Byfield, Mass.; and jumper Whitney Johnson of Houston, Texas. “This is always an exciting time for our program because these are the young men and women we believe will continue the tradition of excellence that is LSU track and field,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “We expect these nine student-athletes to give us the foundation we need to compete for SEC and NCAA championships over the next four years.” One of the top jumps prospects in the United States, Forbes boasts an impressive personal best of 24 feet, 8 ¼ inches in the long jump that he set in winning the event title at the 2008 USA Track and Field Junior Olympic Championships in Omaha, Neb. His mark ranked No. 7 nationally for the 2008 outdoor season and was No. 2 in the country by a member of the Class of 2009. Not only that, but Forbes has recorded an overall personal best of 48-1 ¼ in the triple jump he set in winning the event at the LSU High School Classic on Jan. 6 of this year. Parson is the nation’s top-ranked short sprinter for this year’s signing class as his personal best of 10.23 seconds in the 100-meter dash is the World Youth Record in the event. He clocked 10.23 in the event to win the 100-meter title at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., in 2007. It is also a sophomore class record for high school track in the U.S. The youth level of track and field includes all athletes in the history of the sport under 18 years of age, which makes Parson the fastest youth sprinter at 100 meters all-time. Not only that, but Parson has run personal bests of 6.67 in the 60 meters indoors and 21.05 in the 200 meters outdoors to rank among the nation’s top performers in each event. His personal best in the 60 meters ranked No. 2 a year ago among all sprinters in the Class of 2009. “We’re excited that both Damar and Rynell have decided to continue their academic and athletic pursuits with us at LSU,” Shaver said. “They have the ability to be major contributors for us right away and continue in our outstanding tradition in the sprints and jumps. They are just the kind of athletes who have the potential to take their performance to the next level in our program.” The Lady Tigers have added yet another outstanding group of sprinters with this year’s class and are sure to continue their tradition of excellence in the events. Pinckney leads the way as the reigning AAU Junior Olympic Champion in the 100-meter dash as she set her personal best of 11.54 in the final at the AAU Junior Olympics a year ago. Her time ranked No. 5 among all high school sprinters in the United States during the 2008 outdoor season and was also the second-fastest time recorded by a member of the Class of 2009. Not only that, but Pinckney set a personal best of 7.45 in the 60-meter dash earlier this season for the No. 1 time in the country in 2009. Both Briscoe and Bryant will compete in the 100 and 200 meters during their four-year careers at LSU and bring a wealth of big-meet experience with them to Baton Rouge. Briscoe is one of the premier sprint prospects in Jamaica for this year’s signing class as she boasts personal bests of 11.88 in the 100 meters and 23.71 in the 200 meters. She represented Jamaica at the 2006 IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing, China, where she competed individually in the 200 meters and ran the lead leg on her country’s 4x100-meter relay team that won bronze. Bryant, who has recorded personal bests of 7.59 in the 60 meters, 11.79 in the 100 meters and 23.95 in the 200 meters, has competed in such meets as the Nike Outdoor Nationals, AAU Junior Olympics and National Scholastic Indoor Championships during her prep career. She captured a trio of Class 4A state titles at West Charlotte High School in 2008, including the 55 meters (6.94) and 300 meters (41.23) indoors and the 400 meters (55.58) outdoors. Duncan is a two-time District 17-5A champion in the 200 meters in the state of Texas and comes to LSU with a personal best of 24.33 in the event after competing in the 100 and 200 meters at the AAU Junior Olympic Championships in each of the last two years. “We feel like the group of sprinters we have signed has the potential do great things over the next four years in our program,” Shaver said. “I think the thing I like most about this group is that each young lady knows how to compete and what it takes to be successful in championship meets. It is something you can’t really teach, and we’re excited to have them join our family here at LSU.” In Lipsey, the Lady Tigers have signed arguably the nation’s top middle distance prospect for the Class of 2009 as she will specialize in the 800-meter run during her collegiate career. Lipsey is the nation’s fourth-ranked 800-meter runner returning from last season after setting an overall personal best of 2 minutes, 7.46 seconds during the outdoor season in 2008. She also set a personal best of 2:09.15 indoors last year to win a bronze medal at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships and finish the 2008 indoor season ranked No. 4 nationally in the event. In addition to her prowess in the 800 meters, Lipsey has displayed her versatility in 2009 as she is one of the nation’s top performers in both the 600 meters and the mile. Her top time of 1:29.85 in the 600 ranks fourth all-time by a high school girl in the United States, while she has also clocked a personal best time of 4:55.81 in the mile in just her second career race at the distance. Among the many accolades she has received during her prep career is being named the ESPN Rise New York Girls’ Track Athlete of the Year as a junior in 2008. The Lady Tigers have also added a punch in the field events by signing Johnson and Karin in this year’s class as both rank among the nation’s top performers in their respective event. Johnson is the nation’s fifth-ranked triple jumper returning from last season after setting a best of 40 feet, 4 inches while competing at the Region 3-5A Track and Field Championships in the state of Texas in 2008. A Class 5A state qualifier in both the long jump and triple jump last season, she set a personal best of 19-4 ¾ in the long jump to win silver at the state meet. Karin, a javelin thrower who joins the program with a personal best of 145-1 in the event, won a silver medal in the intermediate girls division at the 2007 USATF Junior Olympic Championships in Walnut, Calif. She trains in the javelin under legendary coach Tom Petranoff, who is a former U.S. Olympian and world-record holder in the event. “We feel like the women that we have signed address some very specific needs we’ve had across all event areas,” Shaver said. “Each has a chance to come in and compete right away and is sure to make an impact on our program over the next four years. “And by signing nine student-athletes of this quality both on and off the track, we’re off to a great start in our recruiting efforts for this class. We look forward to what their future holds at LSU.”
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