The win, coupled with a pair of individual runner-up finishes, by senior Bennie Brazell and freshman Xavier Carter, landed the Tigers 29 final-day points a third-place finish in the final team standings.
An exclamation point was put on the evening\'s festivities when the speedy foursome of Reginald Dardar, Kelly Willie, Bennie Brazell and Xavier Carter ran a world-leading time of 2:59.59 to claim the long relay title.
The order, a new one for the Tiger relay team that has been anchored by Willie all season, paid dividends in the outcome as school, NCAA meet and collegiate records were all surpassed.
\"That\'s the order all along we have wanted to run in the end. I knew it would give us the best chance to win,\" said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver, who has now coached athletes to three collegiate records during his career.
\"I knew the race was over when Xavier got the stick,\" Shaver added.
Running the anchor leg for the first time this season, Carter clocked a blistering 44.0 split to hold off runner-up Arizona State (3:00.57) and secure the victory.
\"Because I had such good 400 runners behind me, I felt like I had to get out in the first 200, as if they were going to come get me anyway,\" said Carter. \"So I was going to break them down in the first 200. They seemed like they wanted to whip me, so I had to just hold on.\"
The time put the Tigers in elite company, as LSU became just the third school in NCAA history, and the first since the 1988 season to break the three-minute barrier in the event.
The performance came after a pair of outstanding individual efforts by Brazell and Carter in the 400-meter hurdles and the 200 meters, respectively.
Brazell became the first Tiger in school history to run under 48 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking a sizzling 47.67 to earn runner-up honors for the second-straight season, and the third time in his career. The time, a personal best by .38 seconds, bettered his previous school-record mark of 48.05 set last year at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
\"I looked up at the scoreboard and was real happy with my time, but I did want to win,\" said Brazell who finished his Tiger career as a five-time national champion and 14-time All-American.
\"I am real happy for Bennie,\" said Shaver. \"He finally got in the record books. He has done a great job for LSU and he has always been a great team guy.\"
Also earning runner-up honors for the Tiger squad was freshman phenom Xavier Carter. Carter turned in his fastest race of the week, crossing the line in 20.08, by was outlasted by Arkansas\' Wallace Spearmon who finished with a world-leading time of 19.91.
Willie tacked on an additional three points toward the Tigers\' team total earning his third-straight All-America honor in the outdoor 400 meters. The now 14-time All-American clocked 45.17 in placing sixth overall.
With 14 All-America awards each, Brazell and Willie now stand atop the Tigers\' all-time All-America awards list, surpassing former Tiger great Pete Coley who previously held the school record with 12 honors.
Not to go unnoticed on the evening was Lady Tiger sprinter Kelly Baptiste who added a third All-America honor to her resume, placing eighth in the 200 meters with a time of 23.42.
Baptiste\'s finish garnered the Lady Tigers another point toward their team total as they finished tied for 24th in the team standings with 10 points.
Texas won the women\'s title with 55 points. The Longhorns were followed by UCLA and South Carolina who finished in a two-way tie for second with 48 points.
The SEC sweep the top-three spots in the men\'s standings with Arkansas taking the overall crown (60), Florida finishing second (49) and the Tigers following in third (36).
Tune in to CBS on Saturday, June 18, at 1:30 p.m. CDT to watch a recap of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Saturday\'s Results (winner and top LSU finisher) Men\'s 200 Meter Dash - Final 1. Wallace Spearmon (Arkansas), 19.91 2. Xavier Carter (LSU), 20.08 Men\'s 400 Meter Dash - Final 1. Darold Williamson (Baylor), 44.51 6. Kelly Willie (LSU), 45.17 Men\'s 400 Meter Hurdles - Final 1. Kerron Clement (Florida), 47.56 (meet record) 2. Bennie Brazell (LSU), 47.67 (school record) Men\'s 4x400 Meter Relay - Final 1. LSU, 2:59.59 (NCAA record, meet record, stadium record) 2. Arizona State, 3:00.57 Women\'s 200 Meter Dash - Final 1. Sheri-Ann Brooks (FIU), 22.85 8. Kelly Baptiste (LSU), 23.42 Men\'s Final Standings 1) Arkansas 60 2) Florida 49 3) LSU 36 4) Brigham Young 34 4) Florida State 34 6) Southern California 33 7) Stanford 28 8) Texas 25 9) Oregon 23 9) Auburn 23 9) Arizona 23 12) Texas-El Paso 22 13) Virginia Tech 21 14) Boise State 18 15) Georgia 17.50 16) Texas Tech 17 17) Arizona State 16 18) Nebraska 15 19) Indiana 14 19) Dartmouth 14 19) Iowa State 14 19) Tennessee 14 19) North Carolina 14 19) Baylor 14 25) Kansas 13 26) Wisconsin 12 26) South Carolina 12 26) Mississippi State 12 29) Michigan 10 29) Texas A&M 10 31) Colorado 9 31) Mississippi 9 33) Georgetown 8 33) UCLA 8 33) Florida A&M 8 36) Oklahoma 7 37) American 6 37) Missouri 6 37) Kentucky 6 37) North Carolina State 6 37) Jackson State 6 37) Clemson 6 37) Central Michigan 6 37) Texas State 6 45) Akron 5.50 46) Idaho 4 46) Washington State 4 46) Southeast Missouri State 4 46) Montana 4 46) Purdue 4 46) Monmouth 4 46) Kansas State 4 46) Western Kentucky 4 54) Rutgers 3 54) Arkansas-Little Rock 3 54) Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 3 54) Northern Iowa 3 54) Long Island 3 54) Southeastern Louisiana 3 60) Miami-Ohio 2 60) William & Mary 2 60) Pennsylvania 2 60) Notre Dame 2 60) Harvard 2 60) California 2 66) Ohio State 1.50 67) Alabama 1 67) Savannah State 1 67) Minnesota 1 67) Colorado State 1 71) Coastal Carolina 0.50 Women\'s Final Standings 1) Texas 55 2) UCLA 48 2) South Carolina 48 4) Tennessee 40 5) Stanford 29 6) Georgia 28 7) Southern California 25 8) Nebraska 24 9) Miami 23 10) Brigham Young 22 10) Florida 22 12) Colorado 19 13) Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 18 13) Alabama 18 15) Auburn? 17 15) Washington 17 17) Eastern Michigan 16 18) Duke 12 18) North Carolina 12 18) Georgia Tech 12 18) Wyoming 12 22) Colorado State 11 22) Arkansas 11 24) LSU 10 24) Air Force 10 24) West Virginia 10 24) Florida International 10 24) Butler 10 29) California 9 29) San Diego State 9 29) Providence 9 32) Kent State? 8 32) Kansas 8 32) Illinois 8 32) Washington State 8 32) Clemson 8 32) Kansas State 8 32) Michigan 8 32) Akron 8 32) Northern Arizona 8 32) Texas Tech 8 32) Oregon 8 32) Columbia 8 44) Virginia 6 44) Oklahoma State 6 44) North Carolina State 6 47) Idaho 5 47) Southern Illinois 5 47) Rice 5 47) Texas A&M 5 47) Nevada-Las Vegas 5 47) Texas State 5 47) Harvard? 5 47) Connecticut 5 55) South Florida 4 55) Ohio State? 4 55) Notre Dame 4 55) Oral Roberts 4 55) Tennessee-Chattanooga 4 60) Arizona 3 60) Texas Southern 3 60) Penn State? 3 60) Wake Forest 3 60) Yale 3 65) Iowa 2 65) Marquette 2 65) Mississippi 2 65) Pittsburgh 2 65) Wichita State 2 70) TCU 1 70) Texas-San Antonio 1