BATON ROUGE — LSU’s women’s track and field team regained the No. 1 ranking in the nation this week according to the Trackwire 25 power rankings, released Tuesday. The men’s team fell to No. 3 in standings after four straight weeks in the top position.
A dominant performance at last weekend’s Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., propelled the Lady Tigers back into the nation’s top spot after they had spent two straight weeks in the No. 2 position behind SEC foe Florida.
The Lady Tigers handily lead the field this week with 74 points to runner-up Florida’s 51 points. North Carolina sits in third place with 36 points, while UCLA and Stanford are each tied for fourth with 33 points.
In the men’s standings, Arkansas took over the nation’s top spot with 49 points to edge out No. 2 South Carolina (46) who snuck in ahead of the Tigers with 44 points. Rounding out the men’s top five are Mississippi State (29) and Stanford (28).
Individually, LSU has four athletes earning top billing in this week’s Dandy Dozen, a weekly power ranking of the nation’s top athletes and relay teams in each NCAA event. Junior Muna Lee sits atop the field in both the 60 and 200-meter dashes for the fourth consecutive week after posting NCAA leading times in each of those events.
Senior Marian Burnett moved into the No. 1 position in the 800 meters after running a scorching 2:04.57 at the Gator Invitational, while Nicole Toney tops the field in her specialty, the triple jump, for the fourth straight week.
Junior Robert Parham is the lone Tiger to hold a No. 1 position, as he sits atop the nation’s elite in the 200 meters.
The LSU track and field team returns to action this weekend when it travels to New York City for the prestigious Armory Invitational, Feb. 14-15.
Women’s Trackwire 25
1. LSU, 74
2. Florida, 51
3. North Carolina, 36
4. UCLA, 33
4. Stanford, 33
6. South Carolina, 29
7. Texas, 22
8. BYU, 19
9. Indiana, 18
9. Illinois, 18
9. Miami, 18
12. Auburn, 17
13. Nebraska, 16
14. Yale, 14
15. Kentucky, 12
15. Oregon, 12
15. Kansas State, 12
18. Colorado, 11
18. Providence, 11
20. Arkansas, 10
20. Rice, 10
20. Iowa State, 10
20. Arizona, 10
24. Washington State, 8
24. Ball State, 8
24. UTEP, 8
Men’s Trackwire 25
1. Arkansas, 49
2. South Carolina, 46
3. LSU, 44
4. Mississippi State, 29
5. Stanford, 28
6. Auburn, 27
7. Michigan, 22
8. TCU, 20
9. Purdue, 19
10. Florida, 18
10. Ohio State, 18
12. Tennessee, 17
12. Villanova, 17
14. Kentucky, 15
14. Nebraska, 15
14. Alabama, 15
17. USC, 11
18. Texas, 10
18. Washington, 10
18. Texas A&M, 10
18. Manhattan, 10
22. Georgia, 9
22. Baylor, 9
24. SMU, 8
24. Missouri, 8
24. Oregon, 8
24. North Carolina, 8
24. Penn, 8
24. Idaho State, 8
24. Indiana, 8
24. Mississippi, 8