BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s track and field team continues to stake its claim among the favorites to compete for an indoor national title, while the men’s squad continues to move up in the rankings in the latest Trackwire 25 and Coaches Poll released Tuesday.
The Lady Tigers move up one spot into a tie for No. 5 in this week’s Trackwire 25 power rankings while dropping a spot to No. 6 in the USTFCCCA Top 20, while the Tigers move up two spots to No. 11 in the Coaches Poll and remain among the nation’s Top 20 teams in the Trackwire 25 at No. 17.
Alleyne Lett highlights a group of four Tigers in the latest Trackwire Dandy Dozen as the senior from St. David’s, Grenada, cracks the rankings for the first time this season at No. 10 in the 60-meter hurdles. The Dandy Dozen is a listing of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each individual event scored at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Lett is joined in the rankings by junior All-American Richard Thompson, who ranked as the nation’s No. 9 and No. 12 athlete in the 60 and 200 meters, respectively. Freshman sensation Will Coppage improves to No. 4 in the long jump as he is joined in the event by sophomore all-conference performer Jeremy Hicks at No. 11.
On the women’s side, junior All-American Kelly Baptiste continues to lead the way as she has been listed as the nation’s second-ranked sprinter in the 60-meter dash while also being ranked No. 6 in the 200 meters for the second week in a row. Baptiste is joined in the 200 meters by fellow junior sprint standout Sherry Fletcher at No. 11.
Junior All-American quarter milers Deonna Lawrence and Cynetheia Rooks currently are ranked ninth and 11th, respectively, in the 400 meters for the second straight week, while junior Kathy Coleman moves up two spots to No. 7 in the long jump and freshman phenom LaTavia Thomas holds her position at No. 10 in the 800 meters.
The Lady Tigers continue to prove why they are competing with the nation’s deepest hurdles squad as they continue to lead the way with three Dandy Dozen members in the 60-meter hurdles. Junior Jessica Ohanaja are projected to earn All-America honors in the event as they are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, while senior Angel Boyd comes in at No. 11 this week.
Both the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay squads remain among the favorites to compete for national titles during the indoor campaign as both the Tigers and Lady Tigers are ranked No. 2 for the third straight week. The foursome from Baylor holds the top spot in the men’s rankings, while South Carolina is the top-ranked team on the women’s side.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers have finished their preparation and are ready for the championship season as they travel to the Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky., on Friday to compete against many of the nation’s premier teams at the SEC Indoor Championships
Trackwire 25
WOMEN
1. Arizona State, 44
2. Michigan, 43
3. Georgia, 35
4. South Carolina, 34
t5. LSU, 28
t5. UCLA, 28
t7. Tennessee, 26
t7. Auburn, 26
9. Texas A&M, 23
10. Stanford, 20
11. Texas, 19
12. Texas Tech, 18
13. Minnesota, 17
14. Hampton, 16
15. Penn State, 15
t16. Washington State, 12
t16. Georgia Tech, 12
t16. Illinois, 12
t16. Villanova, 12
t16. Kansas, 12
t21. North Carolina, 11
t21. Kansas State, 11
t23. Arkansas, 10
t23. Southern Illinois, 10
t23. Duke, 10
t23. USC, 10
MEN
1. Florida State, 48
2. Wisconsin, 45
3. Texas, 34
4. Baylor, 32
t5. Washington, 30
t5. Louisville, 30
7. Auburn, 28
8. Arkansas, 23
t9. Oregon, 20
t9. Stanford, 20
11. Michigan, 18
12. UCLA, 17
13. Tennessee, 16
14. Clemson, 15
t15. Idaho, 14
t15. Pittsburgh, 14
17. LSU, 13
18. Oklahoma, 11
t19. Northern Arizona, 10
t19. South Alabama, 10
t19. Providence, 10
t22. Nebraska, 9
t22. Florida, 9
t22. Northern Iowa, 9
t22. UTEP, 9
Coaches Poll
WOMEN
1. Arizona State
2. Michigan
3. South Carolina
4. Georgia
5. Stanford
6. LSU
7. Tennessee
8. Auburn
9. Texas A&M
10. Minnesota
11. Texas Tech
12. Texas
13. Penn State
14. Villanova
15. North Carolina
16. Washington State
17. Arkansas
18. Hampton
19. Kansas
20. Oregon
MEN
1. Florida State
2. Wisconsin
3. Auburn
4. Texas
5. Washington
6. Stanford
7. Arkansas
8. Oregon
9. Baylor
10. Clemson
11. LSU
12. Louisville
13. Northern Iowa
14. Oklahoma
15. UTEP
16. South Carolina
17. Nebraska
18. Michigan
19. Florida
20. Tennessee