BATON ROUGE — The LSU track and field team heads into competition this weekend for the final time before the SEC Championships, as the second-ranked Tigers and second-ranked Lady Tigers head to Philadelphia for the 108th Penn Relays Carnival.
The nation’s premier talent heads to venerable Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania from Thursday through Saturday, as the primary emphasis is on relays and field events.
“It’s a chance for us to not only compete one last time before the SEC Championships and get a little better, it’s a chance to run on one of the best stages in the sport,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “It’s not everyday that our athletes get to compete in front of 40-50,000 knowledgeable track fans. It’s an atmosphere like no other and it brings out the best in everyone.”
With relays being the primary emphasis, LSU figures to be a major factor in a number of events. The Lady Tigers are the defending champions in the 4×200-meter relay and have won at least one relay each of the last 11 years.
They will take aim at their seventh 4×200-meter relay title in nine years this weekend, while gunning for their sixth 4×100-meter relay title in eight years. The Lady Tigers won the 4×200-meter relay crown at the Texas Relays earlier this month and also enter the Penn Relays ranked No. 1 in the 4×100-meter relay.
The Lady Tigers also bring a very strong group to the shuttle hurdle relay field. LSU did not compete in the event last year, but won each of the last two years they competed in the event in 1999 and again in 2000. The Lady Tigers headline the field with Lolo Jones, Ranysha LeBlanc, Zamyal Jackson and Tiffany Robinson. Jones, LeBlanc and Jackson are all NCAA provisional qualifiers, while Robinson is just .01 off the standard.
The Tiger relays figure to be extremely competitive as well. The Tigers lead the nation in the 4×100-meter relay, while ranking third in the 4×400-meter relay. The LSU men have never won the mile relay at the Penn Relays but figure to have their best chance this year with the foursome of Alleyne Francique, Pete Coley, Lueroy Colquhoun and Bennie Brazell.
Francique leads the nation in the 400-meter dash while Coley ranks seventh. Colquhoun and Brazell are ranked 1-2 respectively in the nation in the 400-meter hurdles.
In the field, Walter Davis will attempt to make Penn Relays history. A year ago the 2000 Olympian won both the long and triple jump titles becoming only the fourth man in the 107-year history of the Penn Relays to do so. This weekend Davis can become the first man to ever defend both titles as he enters a heavy favorite in each competition.
Following the Penn Relays, LSU will take next weekend off before traveling to Starkville for the SEC Outdoor Championships from May 9-12.