BATON ROUGE — The LSU track and field team will get its first significant workout of the season this weekend, when the third-ranked Tigers and fifth-ranked Lady Tigers head to Lincoln, Neb., for the Adidas Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
LSU will have the opportunity to compete at the Bob Devaney Center and its brand new hydraulic banked track, one of the premier facilities in the country.
“In indoor track and field the facility dictates the performance much more than outdoors,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “We’ve got an opportunity to run on a fantastic track this weekend with a very competitive field, so we look to step it up a little more than we have the past two weeks and get a little more accomplished.”
Competing in the field at the Adidas Invitational this weekend will be powers such as Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Florida State and junior college powerhouse Barton.
LSU will look to build upon two strong showings to start the season and open things up on the track. Critical to this weekend will be the performance of LSU’s sprinters from 200-400 meters.
LSU will unleash its quarter-milers in individual competition for the first time this season. 2001 NCAA runner-up Alleyne Francique and Lueroy Colquhoun, a fourth place finisher at the 2000 NCAA Indoor meet, will headline the Tigers’ 400-meter assault, as will 2001 NCAA qualifier Pete Coley.
Robert Parham will lineup in the 200-meter dash, while he will also combine with Francique, Colquhoun and Coley to run what Henry hopes will be a very fast mile relay time on Friday night.
On the women’s side, 2001 NCAA 200-meter runner-up Muna Lee headlines the field in the deuce, as does NCAA qualifier Stephanie Durst.
In addition, Henry will try to assemble an NCAA qualifying 4×400-meter relay on the women’s side, but was uncertain on who he would run Friday night.
“We think that we can get a lot done on this track,” said Henry. “This is an important weekend for our sprinters from 200-400 meters, this will be a really good tune-up for them with the SEC Championships only three weeks off.”
With the competition spread over two days, all of his horizontal jumpers will compete in both the long and triple jumps. The long jump will be held on Friday night and triple will follow on Saturday afternoon.
Following the Adidas Invitational, LSU ventures to New York City next weekend for the “Meet of Champions” Armory Invitational at the famed Armory indoor facility in Manhattan.