BATON ROUGE — For the first time since 1991, the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships come to venerable Bernie Moore Track Stadium on the campus of LSU, as the meet begins Thursday afternoon and runs through Sunday night. Check back each night for the official results.
Thursday’s action gets underway at 5 p.m. with the first day of competition of both the decathlon and heptathlon. Multi-events will conclude Friday evening, while the preliminary heats of the track events will begin as well.
Eight of the top 25 men’s teams will be on hand, led by No. 1 Arkansas. The Tigers hold the No. 6 spot in the nation. On the women’s side, six of the top 25 teams will compete for the SEC title led by the second-ranked Lady Tigers. In addition, 17 athletes ranked in the top 10 in the world in their respective events will be on hand, including one world leader.
“We’re thrilled to be hosting this competition this weekend,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “We enter the meet very healthy for this time of year. Our kids are thrilled to be able to compete at home in a meet of this magnitude. The Southeastern Conference Championship is the premier collegiate meet in the nation, NCAA aside, and to have it come to LSU is a special opportunity for our athletes and for this community.”
LSU has won the men’s competition an SEC record 22 times, while the Lady Tigers also have the distinction of having won the most women’s titles, having claimed eight. The Lady Tigers finished third in Athens, Ga., a year ago, while the Tigers finished sixth. The Tigers finished second at the SEC Indoor Championships this past February, while the Lady Tigers finished fourth.
The competition will get off to a quick start on Thursday, as two of the premier athletes in the SEC go head-to-head. A year ago, LSU’s Claston Bernard became the fist freshman in the history of the SEC Championships to win the decathlon. Bernard ranks second in the conference entering the meet behind Boris Kawohl of Tennessee who leads the NCAA and ranks fifth in the world with a score of 7,746.
Bernard’s total of 7,536 ranks fourth in the NCAA and 16th in the world.
On the women’s side, Lady Tiger Loren Leaverton will look for similar results from a year ago. As a freshman last year, Leaverton finished third in the heptathlon in an effort that propelled her into the NCAA Championship field. Leaverton has yet to complete a heptathlon this season.
LSU won a total of five events last year and each of the champions will return to defend their titles.
Russ Buller will attempt to become the first man in LSU history to win four straight conference titles in an event, as he leads both the SEC and NCAA in the pole vault entering his final home appearance.
Derrick Brew shattered the oldest LSU record on the track last year, winning the 400-meter dash in a time of 44.29 seconds, the fourth fastest time in the world in 1999.
On the women’s side, Keisha Spencer appears a clear favorite to defend her triple jump title, while Monique Freeman will try to become the first Lady Tiger in 14 years to win back-to-back titles in the long jump.
The Lady Tigers will also attempt to continue their dominance in the 4×100-meter relay and will go for their 11th SEC title in 13 years in the event.
This weekend’s competition marks only the eighth time the SEC Outdoor meet has ever come to Baton Rouge, leading all SEC schools. Conversely, the SEC Indoor meet has been at LSU 15 times do to a short list of indoor facilities in the SEC.
“It’s a once in a decade chance to see some of the best competitors, not only in the college ranks, but in the world,” added Henry. “If this year’s meet is anything like last year’s, then we’re in for a real treat. A number of world-leading marks, championship records and phenomenal performances came out of last year’s meet and I think the potential is there for similar results here this weekend.”
The Tigers will be searching for their first title since 1990, while the Lady Tigers will go for their first outdoor conference crown since 1996.