BATON ROUGE- The LSU women’s track and field team increased its strangle-hold on the No. 1 ranking in the nation in the latest Trackwire national rankings released on Tuesday. The Lady Tigers gained two points in the rankings to come in this week with 75, while No. 2 Texas dropped three points and earned 67 in this week’s poll.
Despite a relaxed atmosphere at the SEC Quadrangular meet in Fayetteville, Ark., last weekend, the Lady Tigers actually picked up ground due to the sprint and hurdle performances at the other SEC Quadrangular meet in Gainesville, Fla. The sprint and hurdle performances from South Carolina and Auburn contributed to minor declines in Texas’ individual rankings.
UCLA, South Carolina and Arkansas continue to hold positions three through five.
At the same time the Tigers actually picked up two points in the men’s poll but fell out of the top 10 for the first time this season, claiming the 11th spot in this week’s rankings.
The Southeastern Conference continues to hold four of the top five spots in the men’s poll with Arkansas claiming the top spot for the third straight week, followed by Stanford, then Florida, Auburn and Alabama.
South Alabama bumped the Tigers out of the top 10, claiming the 10th spot as a result of its strong distance corps.
The Tigers will get their crack at South Alabama on Saturday, as the Jaguars are one of 20 teams slated to compete at the LSU Invitational at the Carl Maddox Field House. Field events get underway at 1 p.m., while track events will start at 3:30 p.m.
Other ranked teams that will be on hand include Ole Miss, ranked 18th in the men’s poll and UTEP, ranked 23rd in the women’s poll.
Trackwire National Rankings (Top 10)
| Women | |
| Team | Points |
| 1. LSU | 75 |
| 2. Texas | 67 |
| 3. UCLA | 59 |
| 4. South Carolina | 35 |
| 5. Arkansas | 25 |
| 6. Wisconsin | 20 |
| 7. (tie) Auburn | 19 |
| Nebraska | 19 |
| 9. (tie) Georgia | 18 |
| North Carolina | 18 |
| Men | |
| 1. Arkansas | 65 |
| 2. Stanford | 56 |
| 3. Florida | 43 |
| 4. Auburn | 30 |
| 5. Alabama | 28 |
| 6. SMU | 27 |
| 7. Clemson | 26 |
| 8. Texas | 24 |
| 9. Arizona State | 22 |
| 10. South Alabama | 20 |
| 11. LSU | 19 |