BATON ROUGE- The No. 1-ranked LSU women’s track and field team and the ninth-ranked Tigers open the 2000 season this weekend, welcoming a field of 18 teams to the Field House on Saturday for the LSU Purple Tiger Invitational. Field events get underway at 1 p.m., while track events start at 3:30 p.m.
“It’s the opening of another season and an opportunity to get started on the right foot,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “This is a good competition to get our feet wet. It’s a long season and we’re going to try and gradually build our way up starting this weekend. Those who are ready to compete will compete this weekend, but we’re going to rest a few people.”
Joining LSU at the Purple Tiger Invitational this weekend will be such in-state programs as McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, New Orleans and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Notable out-of-state programs competing this weekend include Alabama, Southern Mississippi and South Alabama.
The Lady Tigers return 10 All-Americans from last year’s NCAA Indoor runner-up squad, while the Tigers bring back four All-Americans from last year’s team that finished in the top 10 both indoors and outdoors.
Among those scheduled to compete from that group this weekend include 1999 NCAA women’s 60-meter hurdles champion Joyce Bates, whose title defense begins with a solid hurdle field on Saturday.
Keisha Spencer, picked by Trackwire as the preseason favorite to the win the NCAA triple jump after finishing third a year ago, will open her quest for the NCAA title this weekend in a field that includes teammate Bianca Rockett, the U.S. Junior champion.
Monique Freeman, fourth at the 1999 NCAA Indoor Championships in the long jump, will open her season in the 24-woman field.Freeman won both the SEC Indoor and Outdoor titles in 1999.
On the men’s side, Russ Buller, the 1999 NCAA Indoor pole vault runner-up and school record-holder indoors and outdoors will open his 2000 season on Saturday. The only LSU record Buller does not own is the Field House record, a mark he will take aim at this season.
Following the Purple Tiger, LSU travels to Fayetteville, Ark., next weekend for the SEC Quadrangular with Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. LSU then returns home for the LSU Invitational on Jan. 29 at the Field House.