BATON ROUGE — LSU’s track and field team returns to action this weekend when it travels to New York City for the fifth annual Armory Invitational, Feb. 4-5.
Competition from the New Balance Track and Field Center will begin at 8 a.m. (CT) on both Friday and Saturday.
The second-ranked Lady Tigers and the seventh-ranked Tigers will be tested by the top talent in the country as over 80 teams are scheduled to run, including nationally-ranked Arkansas, Georgia, Stanford, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee and Villanova.
The weekend will mark the debut of senior Neisha Bernard-Thomas in her signature event, the 800 meters. The defending outdoor national champion in the event, Bernard-Thomas is currently ranked No. 2 in the country.
Also hitting the track for the Lady Tigers will be All-American Hazelann Regis. Regis was named the Armory Invitational’s Outstanding Female Performer a year ago after capturing the 400 meter title in meet and Armory record time (51.89). She will begin the defense of her title on Friday.
For the men, junior Kelly Willie and freshman Xavier Carter will run the 200 meters. Willie, who has already automatically qualified to the NCAA Championships in the event, owns the nation’s second fastest time this season (20.78).
It will mark Carter’s first appearance in the event as a collegiate competitor. A two-time Florida state champion in the 200 meters as a prep, he established a new national record as a senior, clocking 20.69, to become the first high school athlete to break the 21-second barrier.
In the field, All-Americans Tina Harris and Willie Bradley will be pulling double duty, competing in the both the long jump and triple jump this weekend. Harris automatically qualified to the national championships in the long jump last week at the Bayou Bengal Invitational and will be looking to do the same in the triple jump.
Bradley, who has posted two straight provisional marks in the triple jump, will be seeking the automatic bid this weekend.
Following the Armory Invitational, the Tigers and Lady Tigers will continue their two-meet road swing, traveling to Nampa, Idaho, Feb. 11-12 for the Holiday Team Invitational hosted by Boise State.