COLUMBUS, Ohio — LSU’s top-ranked Lady Tigers and seventh-ranked Tigers held one final practice Thursday afternoon in preparation for the inaugural NCAA Regional Track and Field Championships, to be run this Friday and Saturday at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
With 2003 marking the first season of an NCAA sponsored regional championship for the sport, LSU will be taking part in the Mid-East Regional. Three other regional meets will also be held throughout the country this weekend as Stanford plays host in the West, Nebraska hosts in the Midwest and George Mason sponsors a meet in the East.
Unlike previous years when advancement to the NCAA Championships were based on automatic and provisional qualifying marks, this season automatic qualification to national meet will be awarded to the top five finishers in each individual event and the top three relay teams at the regional championship meet. After the automatic bids are handed out, an additional six at-large bids in each event will be awarded to athletes around the country based on the NCAA’s descending order lists of top times and marks.
“We are in uncharted territory,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “With only a limited number of athletes advancing in each event we have to focus on competing well and advancing through each round of competition in order to get as many athletes as possible into the national championships.”
Competition will be tough for LSU in the Mid-East as 77 men’s teams and 90 women’s teams across 11 states will comprise the field of talented competitors. Of those teams participating, eight on the men’s side and seven on the women’s side are ranked among the nation’s top 25 according to the latest Trackwire power rankings.
The Lady Tigers enter the meet as the top-ranked team in the country, but will be challenged by No. 8 Indiana, No. 13 Auburn and No. 19 Arkansas.
On the men’s side, three of the nation’s top-five teams, in No. 1 Arkansas, No. 3 Auburn and No. 5 Mississippi State, lead the race for the men’s team title, but they will be pushed by the seventh-ranked Tigers, as well as No. 9 Eastern Michigan and No. 14 Indiana.
“I think our main focus this weekend in making sure that we get our athletes into the national championships.” said Henry. “The team title would be a by-product of all of our athletes coming together and performing to the best of their ability.”
That is something that is not out of the realm of possibilities for LSU, as both the Tigers and Lady Tigers combine to bring six Mid-East Regional leaders and 12 additional athletes ranked among the top three in the region to the championship meet.
Regional leaders for LSU include Muna Lee (100m, 200m), Hazelann Regis (400m), Nicole Toney (triple jump) and both the women’s 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays.
Other athletes ranked among the Mid-East’s top three include Stephanie Durst (200m), Nadia Davy (400m), Neisha Bernard-Thomas (800m), Lolo Jones (100h), Althea Thomas (400h), Mallory McDonald (hammer), Kelly Willie (400m), Bennie Brazell (400h), John Moffitt (long jump), LeJuan Simon (triple jump) and the men’s 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays teams.
Following the Mid-East Regional Championships athletes continuing with the season will have one weekend off to prepare for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif., June 11-14.