William Hetzer, Sr.
June 1, 2007
Gerald Hite, Sr.
June 8, 2007
The field for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is set and the LSU men’s and women’s squads have combined to qualify 29 athletes and four relay teams into the meet.
The four-day meet returns to Sacramento, Calif., for the third straight year and starts Wednesday and concludes on Saturday.
The Lady Tigers will have more opportunities to score than any other team at this year’s meet as they are sending a total of 19 individuals to Sacramento, while the men’s team will be well-represented with 10 athletes of their own competing at the national meet.
The squads are also looking to repeat last year’s success in the relay events as they will send both 400-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams. The Tigers capped off an undefeated season in the relays by sweeping NCAA titles a year ago, while the Lady Tigers are also looking to defend their national title in the 1,600-meter relay.
This year marks the largest contingent of LSU athletes that will be making the trip to the national meet since the NCAA instituted the regional format in 2003. The squads sent a total of 22 athletes and four relay teams to the NCAA meet in 2004 for their second highest total in that span.
The Lady Tigers are among the favorites to win their 12th outdoor national title in program history and 25th NCAA championship overall as they will score the bulk of their points on the track.
Nickiesha Wilson enters the meet with the nation’s leading time in the 400-meter hurdles at 55.20 seconds after winning her first career NCAA Mideast Regional title recently.
Wilson is also set to compete in the 100-meter hurdles along with teammates Jessica Ohanaja and Angel Boyd.
In addition to her efforts in the hurdles, Wilson will attempt to help the Lady Tigers’ 1,600-meter relay team defend its title after running the third leg on the squad that recorded the No. 2 time in the country at 3:28.89 at the SEC Outdoor Championships earlier this year.
The Lady Tigers’ sprint relay team of Sherry Fletcher, Samantha Henry, Brooklynn Morris and Kelly Baptiste also boasts the nation’s fastest time at 43.26 entering the meet as the foursome clocked its seasonal best time at the LSU Alumni Gold on April 21.
Baptiste is looking to earn her 10th career All-America honor as a Lady Tiger as she will lead the team in the sprints with the nation’s fifth-fastest time at 11.22 in the 100-meter dash entering the meet, while Fletcher and Henry are set to compete in both the 100 and 200 at the national meet in addition to the sprint relay.
The Lady Tigers also boast two of the nation’s top quarter-milers as Cynetheia Rooks and Deonna Lawrence make their return to the national meet this season, while Tanya Osbourne and LaTavia Thomas will look to score valuable points in the 800 meters.
In the field events, Shaunette Davidson (high jump), Andrea Linton (long jump, triple jump) and Katelyn Rodrigue each punched their ticket to the NCAA meet after securing automatic bids at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. Joining them in the field will be Kathy Coleman in the long jump and Amanda Harmata in the javelin as each was awarded an at-large bid to compete at the national meet by the NCAA selection committee.
The men’s squad will be led by the efforts of national title hopeful Trindon Holliday, who enters the NCAA meet with the second fastest wind-legal time in the country and fifth fastest time in the world this season at 10.07 in the 100-meter dash.
Holliday is looking to become the second Tiger in as many years to win an individual title in the event as LSU great Xavier Carter accomplished the feat last season with a then school-record time of 10.09 in the finals. Holliday broke Carter’s school record with a time of 10.08 at the SEC Championships followed by his seasonal best time of 10.07 at the recent regional meet.
Also in the hunt for a national title is All-American Isa Phillips, who carries the No. 2 400-meter hurdle time in the country at 49.54 into the national meet. Phillips is seeking his second career All-America honor in the event in as many years after finishing fifth in the finals last year.
Joining Holliday and Phillips on the track will be Siraj Williams in the 400 meters and Alleyne Lett in the 110-meter hurdles. Both athletes are making their NCAA debut in their specialty events after earning a pair of third-place finishes at the NCAA Mideast Regional.
Chad Radgowski leads the way for the Tigers in the field events as he enters the meet with the nation’s fourth best mark in the javelin with a seasonal best throw of 239-8, while he will be joined in the event by Preston Chatham. Jeremy Hicks will also compete in the field as he is set to make his second career appearance in the long jump.
Receiving at-large bids from the NCAA selection committee last week for their outstanding performance in the regular season were Richard Thompson in the 100-meter dash, Reuben Twijukye in the 800-meter run and Ryan Fontenot in the 110-meter hurdles.
The Tigers are also in title contention in both relays as the sprint relay team of Hicks, Thompson, senior Marvin Stevenson and Holliday boast the nation’s fourth fastest time at 39.37, while the foursome of Williams, Stevenson, freshman Armanti Hayes and senior Melville Rogers are No. 2 in the country in the 1,600-meter relay with a seasonal best time of 3:03.62.
LSU TO HOST SEC
The defending SEC Tournament champion LSU softball team will have the chance to defend its tournament title at home next season as the Tigers were selected to host the 2008 SEC Tournament at Tiger Park on May 8-10.
The Tigers have now participated in all 11 conference tournaments in the league’s history. LSU owns a 33-11 overall record in SEC Tournament play, and have won the tournament a conference-record five times.
TIGER TOUR
The LSU Tiger Tour 2007 will come to Morgan City on Thursday, June 14 at the Morgan City Auditorium.
To order tickets to any LSU Tiger Tour 2007 event, log onto www.lsutigertour.com or call 800-644-4823.
Photo by STEVE FRANZ • LSU • Nickiesha Wilson owns the nation’s fastest time in the women’s 400-meter hurdles.
