LINCOLN, Neb. — The LSU track and field team got off to a strong start at the Adidas Invitational on Friday evening, winning two events while getting several high finishes.
SEC long jump champion Walter Davis, a 2000 Olympian, looked sharp for the third week in a row and won the long jump with a mark of 25 feet 6 1/4 inches. Davis will attempt to sweep the horizontal jumps on Saturday when he competes in his signature event, the triple jump.
LSU’s NCAA champion 4×400-meter relay team once again looked strong and coasted to an easy victory at the Bob Devaney Center, however, running without significant competition, their time was well of their national-leading mark of two weeks ago.
Robert Parham, Pete Coley, Lueroy Colquhoun and Alleyne Francique got the stick around in 3 minutes 9.32 seconds, easing to victory.
“They looked okay, they don’t run their best when they run with the lead, it seems like they run their best when they’re in pursuit,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “They didn’t have a lot of competition tonight.”
The Lady Tigers improved on their season best time in the 4×400-meter relay, running an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:39.89 with the group of Ronetta Smith, Xyllena Lynch, Stephanie Durst and Marian Burnett. The foursome finished second, getting edged at the line by junior college power Barton County.
In the field, Javier Nieto came up with his third straight 60-foot effort in the 35-lb. weight throw, posting a mark of 62-10 1/2 to finish third.
The Lady Tiger long jumpers were consistent and came up with a 2-4-5 finish in the long jump. Nicole Toney placed second with a mark of 19-9 1/2, while Bianca Rockett finished fourth, followed by Andria Booker.
The Adidas Invitational continues tomorrow at the Bob Devaney Center, with sprints and hurdles taking center stage.