PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — Two Lady Tiger relay titles and an individual event victory by All-American John Moffitt in the long jump highlighted a second straight day of impressive competition for the LSU track and field team at the 110th annual Penn Relays.
Action got underway at Franklin Field with the Lady Tigers’ successful defense of their 4×100-meter relay title. Lolo Jones, Monique Hall, Nadia Davy and Muna Lee brought LSU its seventh short relay crown in the last 10 years, clocking the second-fastest collegiate mark in Penn Relays history, 42.92. The first sub-43 second mark for Lady Tigers this season, the time ties as the fourth-best all-time at LSU.
Jones then led the Lady Tigers to their second consecutive Penn Relays’ crown in the shuttle hurdle relay. Teamed with Brittany Littlejohn, Tiffany Robinson and RaNysha LeBlanc, the foursome clocked the fourth-best mark in meet history (53.43) to win gold.
In the field events, NCAA Indoor champion, John Moffitt, became just the second Tiger athlete to ever win a Penn Relays’ crown in the long jump. Moffitt, the reigning SEC Field Athlete of the Week, recorded an outdoor PR of 26-5 3/4 to win the title. The NCAA leading mark ranks as the fifth-best in Penn Relays’ history and ties as the third-best all-time at LSU.
“For John to win the long jump here is huge,” said LSU head coach Henry. “That’s one of the best jumps ever recorded at this meet and that’s a big accomplishment.
“I also thought Nicole (Toney) looked good in the triple jump. She continues to get better and seems to be hitting her stride.”
Toney just missed a third straight title in the women’s triple jump, earning runner-up honors with a distance of 43-6 1/2.
“Overall, I think we had some really good things happen today,” said Henry. “I thought we looked good in many of the relays and for the conditions down on the field, with the wind later in the afternoon, I think we turned in some great times.”
In preliminary round action, both the Tigers’ 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay teams as well as the Lady Tigers 4×200 advanced to tomorrow’s championship rounds.
Kelly Willie, Marvin Stevenson, Pete Coley and Bennie Brazell clocked the fastest qualifying time in the short relay to cruise to an easy 39.41.
Willie, Coley and Brazell later teamed with Siraj Williams to clock 3:04.18 in the 4×400. The foursome finished second in their heat, following winner TCU who finished in 3:02.89.
“I thought the 4×400 looked good today,” said Henry. “They qualified in the No. 2 position which is good, but they are really going to have to tie one on for the finals tomorrow.”
LSU’s All-American quartet of Stephanie Durst, Hazelann Regis, Nadia Davy and Monique Hall toppled the field in qualifying into Saturday’s 4×200 final. The three-time defending champions in the event, the Lady Tigers clocked the eight-best time in school history (1:31.75) to defeat the nearest competitor by nearly two full seconds.
Individually, Muna Lee advanced to tomorrow’s final in the 100-meter dash, while RaNysha LeBlanc, Lolo Jones and Brittany Littlejohn moved on in the 100-meter hurdles.
Lee, who posted the second-fastest qualifying time with a season-best effort of 11.25, will be chasing an unprecedented fourth straight Penn Relays’ crown in the event.
LeBlanc finished with the day’s second best qualifying mark in the hurdles, winning her heat in 13.22. Jones also won her heat, clocking 13.30, while Littlejohn placed third in her heat in 13.40.
Action from the 110th annual Penn Relays will conclude tomorrow, April 24. Field events are scheduled to begin at 8:10 a.m. and running events will follow at 10 a.m.