BATON ROUGE — The indoor championship season begins this weekend for the LSU track and field team as it travels to Gainesville, Fla., for the SEC Championships this Friday through Sunday at Florida’s O’Connell Center.
Competition gets underway Friday with the women’s pentathlon and the first day of the men’s heptathlon. Action continues Saturday and Sunday with the open field and running events.
The race for the men’s and women’s team titles are expected to be heated battles as five of the men’s teams and six of the women’s squads enter the championships ranked among this nation’s top 20 according to this week’s Coaches’ Poll.
Top-ranked Arkansas, winners of 12 of the last 14 indoor conference crowns, will once again be the team to beat on the men’s side, while second-ranked South Carolina enters the meet as the favorite in the women’s race.
“Anytime we go into a championship meet we would like to win,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “However, at this point I don’t feel we have the quality depth it takes to win a SEC Championship so while it is a goal, I believe our teams are better suited for a quality finish at the NCAA meet.”
However, both the Tigers and Lady Tigers will still be eyeing a spot among the upper echelons of the final team standings.
“I think the team results at this meet could be very deceiving,” said Shaver. “Looking at the field, it’s realistic that between five and 10 points could separate second through sixth places on both the men’s and women’s side, so a team that finishes in sixth can really be just as competitive as the one that places second.”
Favorite Arkansas will be challenged by the third-ranked Tigers as well as No. 7 Tennessee, No. 12 Florida and No. 17 South Carolina on the men’s side.
South Carolina will face its biggest challenges from the fourth-ranked Lady Tigers and No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 Auburn, No. 13 Georgia and No. 15 Alabama.
Individually, Shaver and his staff have entered their athletes in the number of events they feel best fits the needs of their athletes at this point in the season.
“We are entered in the events and the number of rounds we feel we are prepared to do,” said Shaver. “We do not want to overextend ourselves at these championships.”
With the NCAA Indoor Championships just two weeks away, LSU may error on the side of caution, but it will bring to the table several athletes that should be top contenders in their specialty events.
Sophomore Xavier Carter will have the bull’s eye on his back in the 400 meters. Ranked No. 1 in the event nationally, Carter owns the top time in the SEC and the NCAA this season (45.89) and is undefeated in his three races to date.
Senior Kelly Willie will be going after his second straight short sprint conference title. The winner of last year’s 60-meter crown, he enters the meet with the SEC’s second fastest time in the event this season.
Willie will also be the top contender in the 200 meters as he enters the meet with an NCAA-leading time of 20.66.
Both Carter and Willie are also vital members of the Tigers’ 4×400 relay team that also enters the competition with the No. 1 time in both the SEC and the NCAA this season.
The Lady Tigers will also be the team to beat in the women’s relay as their season-best time of 3:30.43 leads the conference and the nation by over one full second.
Following the SEC Indoor Championships, any LSU athletes having yet to qualify for the NCAA Championships will have one last opportunity to do so at either the LSU Invitational on Fri., March 3, or at the Iowa State Invitational on Sat., March 4.