BATON ROUGE ? Three of LSU’s standout multi-event athletes are set to make their outdoor season debut in their respective specialty events this weekend as they host the LSU Combined Events on Thursday and Friday at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
The men’s decathlon is set to get underway Thursday with the running of the 100-meter dash at 3 p.m. followed by the beginning of the women’s heptathlon competition at 3:30 p.m. with the 100-meter hurdles.
“It’s still very early in the outdoor season, but they’re excited about the opportunity to compete,” said LSU multi-events coach Boo Schexnayder. “This will give us an opportunity to evaluate our multi-event athletes to see where they are at this stage and what they need to work as we move forward in the outdoor season.”
Senior standout Shaunette Davidson will make her collegiate debut in the women’s heptathlon competition after winning pentathlon title at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 23 with a personal best score of 3,896 points. She also won the event title at the LSU Combined Events at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on Jan. 26.
The Tigers are also looking for strong performances from junior Gavin Fleming and freshman Eric Radecker in the men’s decathlon as Fleming scored five big points for the Tigers at the SEC Indoor Championships with a fourth-place finish after scoring 4,859 points.
The decathlon competition is not without its share of stars as defending NCAA champion Jake Arnold of Arizona will make his season debut after taking top honors in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season with a cumulative score of 7,870 points. Arnold was also an All-American in the heptathlon a season ago with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA indoor meet.
The second and final day of the LSU Combined Events is scheduled to begin Friday at 3 p.m. with the running of the men’s 110-meter hurdles followed by the afternoon’s first event in the heptathlon with the women’s discus throw at 3:45 p.m.