GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- LSU completed its sweep of the conference\'s multi-event titles Saturday afternoon as Tiger senior Edwin Billot won the heptathlon competition at the O\'Connell Center during the second day of the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Billot entered the second day of competition in fourth place with 2,992 points. The McNeese State transfer then racked up another 2,512 points over the final three events to finish with a personal-best 5,504 points.
Billot\'s point total marked an improvement on his previous personal-best and NCAA provisional standard of 5,359 and moved him up to sixth on this year\'s NCAA performance list, a place that should land him a spot in the NCAA Championships field in two weeks.
\"I knew I could do it, it was just a matter of putting it together,\" said Billot.
Billot\'s top performances of the day came on the track. The Beaumont, Texas, native tallied 935 points to finish second in the hurdles and wrapped up the competition with a season-best 2:48.81 performance in the 1,000 meters to secure the conference crown.
\"I am really happy for Edwin,\" said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. \"He\'s been through a lot to be able to compete for us and to win a SEC title in your senior season year, there are not a whole lot of people that can walk away from their career and say that.\"
The win, coupled with a sixth-place finish by freshman Jeremy Hicks in the long jump (24-4 1/2), garnered the Tigers 13 points on the day, placing them fifth in the overall standings after two days of competition.
Favorite Arkansas leads the pack with 40 points. The Razorbacks are followed by South Carolina (27), Tennessee (23), Florida (22) and the Tigers in the top five.
Adding points towards the women\'s team total was a pair of long jumpers, in junior Tina Harris and sophomore Andrea Linton. Harris jumped 20-0 1/4 in finishing fifth overall, while Linton recorded a personal-best 19-8 1/4 to place eighth.
Their points combined with Megan Akre\'s heptathlon win yesterday give the Lady Tigers 15 points and sixth place in the team standings. Georgia tops the field after two days with 36 points and is followed by Arkansas (29.5), Alabama (24), Auburn (20) and South Carolina (19.5).
After an exceptional day of qualifying round performances, that included 14 Tigers and Lady Tigers advancing to 17 event finals, both the men\'s and women\'s squad have set themselves up for a great final day of competition.
\"I\'m pleased with the individuals we have qualified in,\" said Shaver. \"I feel like just about everyone we thought should advance did. We\'ve done everything we can do to put ourselves in position for a good team finish tomorrow.\"
The Lady Tigers\' All-American duo of Kelly Baptiste and Brooklynn Morris will both see second-day in action in the 55 and 200-meter dashes.
Baptiste won her prelim heat in both events, crossing the line in 6.79 in the 55 meters and 23.27 in the 200 meters. Her 200 time, the fastest of the day, marked a personal best and automatically qualified her for the NCAA Championships in two weeks.
Morris was not far off Baptiste\'s pace in both events, finishing the 55 meters in 6.83 before clocking 23.59 to advance in the 200 meters.
On the men\'s side, defending conference champion, Kelly Willie, and freshman Trindon Holliday each qualified to second-day action in the 55 meters. Willie posted the field\'s top mark, easily winning his heat in 6.26, while Holliday finished in 6.28 to advance on time.
Willie also qualified for the finals in the 200 meters, cruising to a preliminary heat-best 20.89.
In the 400 meters, LSU will be represented by a trio of Tigers as well as a pair of Lady Tigers.
Sophomore Xavier Carter once again proved he\'ll be the athlete to beat in the men\'s open quarter, handily posting the field\'s fastest time (46.73).
Junior Austin Benton and sophomore Reggie Dardar will be accompanying Carter in the 400 finals, advancing with times of 47.64 and 48.12, respectively.
LSU also had two qualifiers in the 55-meter hurdles as Jessica Ohanaja advanced for the Lady Tigers and Ryan Fontenot moved on for the men.
Ohanaja won her prelim heat and was just shy of the NCAA automatic standard in the event, crossing the line in 7.62 seconds. The time, when converted to the 60-meter distance, comes in at 8.19 seconds which marks a personal best and moves her up to ninth on this year NCAA performance list.
Fontenot finished second in his prelim heat with a time of 7.47, a mark that when converted to 60 meters ties his personal best of 8.00 seconds.
In the longer distances, LSU will be represented by three athletes in the 800 meters as well as senior Patrick Gavin in the mile.
Lady Tigers Tanya Osbourne and Meisue Francis posted the top two qualifying times of the day in the women\'s 800 meters.
Isa Phillips clocked 1:52.12 to advance in the men\'s halfmile, while Gavin turned in a time of 4:06.14 in the mile.
\"Everything is going pretty much according to script, but tomorrow\'s a new track meet,\" said Shaver. \"We\'ve got to line up and be on top of our game.\"
The SEC Indoor Championships wrap up tomorrow evening with the crowning of the men\'s and women\'s team champions.
TEAM STANDINGS
Men (After four events scored)
1. Arkansas, 40
2. South Carolina, 27
3. Tennessee, 23
4. Florida, 22
5. LSU, 13
6. Auburn, 12
7. Ole Miss, 11
8. Alabama, 8Women (After five events scored)
1. Georgia, 36
2. Arkansas, 29.5
3. Alabama, 24
4. Auburn, 20
5. South Carolina, 19.5
6. LSU, 15
7. Tennessee, 13.5
8. Ole Miss, 13
9. Florida, 12.5
10. Kentucky, 6
11. Mississippi State, 4
12. Vanderbilt, 2