BATON ROUGE- With 10 All-Americans returning from last year’s NCAA indoor runner-up squad, Sports Illustrated For Women has selected LSU as its preseason No. 1 in women’s indoor track and field.
The Lady Tigers came tantalizingly close to regaining the NCAA indoor title they had held on eight previous occasions last season, falling just short of rival Texas.
The Lady Tigers lost only one member of last year’s squad, while they return a trio of national champions in Peta-Gaye Dowdie (200-meter dash), Joyce Bates (60-meter hurdles) and Claudine Williams (800-meter run outdoors). Texas, conversely, lost three runners with 10 All-American honors apiece and subsequently enters the SI For Women poll in the second spot.
UCLA enters third followed by SMU and Villanova to round out the top five. BYU, Florida, Georgetown, Wisconsin and South Carolina round out the top 10.
The Lady Tigers begin their run to reclaim the NCAA title on Jan. 15 with the LSU Purple Tiger at the LSU Field House.