BATON ROUGE — LSU’s national champion Lady Tiger track and field team begins the 2004 season planted firmly in the nation’s No . 1 spot in the first Trackwire 25 rankings released Tuesday. The Tigers enter the season ranked fifth in the men’s poll.
The Lady Tigers have a sizable lead on the competitors with 71 points in the season’s first poll. Texas and Florida sit behind LSU in a tie for second with 48 points apiece, while Pac-10 counterparts Stanford (32) and UCLA (30) round out the top five.
In the men’s poll, defending NCAA Outdoor champions, Arkansas, top the team standings with 62 points, while Stanford (39), Auburn (37), Texas (35) and LSU (29) follow.
Rankings and assigned points are based on a team’s projected score at the NCAA Championships, factoring in results at NCAA-qualifying competitions, performances in past major competitions and injury reports.
The Lady Tigers are coming off a 2003 season that saw them sweep both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor national titles for the ninth time in school history and the first time since 1997.
LSU returns all but one athlete off those championships rosters, including 2003 individual national champions Muna Lee and Lolo Jones.
LSU’s men’s team finished third at the NCAA Indoors and fourth at the NCAA Outdoors a year ago, and also return nearly all of its athletes off last year’s squad.
All-American sprinters Kelly Willie, Pete Coley and Bennie Brazell all return off the Tigers’ indoor national champion 4×400-meter relay team.
LSU begins the 2004 season Friday when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
Women’s Trackwire 25
1. LSU, 71
2. Texas, 48
2. Florida, 48
4. Stanford, 32
5. UCLA, 30
6. Arkansas, 29
7. North Carolina, 28
7. Nebraska, 28
9. Colorado, 22
10. South Carolina, 20
10. BYU, 20
10. West Virginia, 20
13. Tennessee, 19
13. Kansas State, 19
15. Georgia, 17
16. Baylor, 16
16. Florida State, 16
18. Providence, 15
19. Miami, 12
19. Georgia Tech, 12
21. Notre Dame, 11
22. Penn State, 9
22. Arizona, 9
24. Clemson, 8
24. Mississippi State, 8
24. Kent State, 8
Men’s Trackwire 25
1. Arkansas, 62
2. Stanford, 39
3. Auburn, 37
4. Texas, 35
5. LSU, 29
6. Minnesota, 28
7. Florida, 26
8. UCLA, 23
8. Michigan, 23
10. South Carolina, 22
11. Ohio State, 18
12. Texas Tech, 16
13. Tennessee, 15
14. Indiana, 13
14. Oklahoma, 13
14. Wisconsin, 13
14. Nebraska, 13
18. Kansas State, 12
18. USC, 12
20. Baylor, 11
20. Colorado, 11
20. TCU, 11
23. Washington, 10
23. Kansas, 10
23. Connecticut, 10
23. Purdue, 1