BATON ROUGE — With the postseason just two weeks away, the action heats up for the LSU track and field teams as they join an elite field at the 2008 Tyson Invitational that kicks off Friday at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Tyson Invitational is widely considered one of the most competitive meets of the indoor season as it provides an early glimpse at many of the teams that will look to be crowned national champion at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
Friday night’s invitational portion of the meet is scheduled to be broadcast to a national television audience on a tape-delay basis on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. CT.
LSU is looking to strengthen its postseason position as the Lady Tigers enter the weekend ranked No. 1 in the country while the Tigers are No. 8 in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top 25 power ranking released Wednesday.
The squads are ahead of last year’s pace as they have combined for nine automatic qualifiers and 17 provisional qualifiers for the national meet compared to just two automatic qualifiers and 18 provisional qualifiers at this time a year ago.
“The competition is certainly going to be great this weekend, but our focus is more on individual performances,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “The bottom line is that this meet gives our kids another chance to run on the same track where we will have both the SEC and NCAA meets. We’re going there with some very specific goals that we want accomplished.”
Shaver said this weekend will provide many of his athletes the opportunity to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships by achieving the automatic standard for the first time this season.
Among the first order of business for the Tigers and Lady Tigers this weekend will be seeing the men’s distance medley relay team and both the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay teams earn NCAA automatic qualifying times while lining up against many of the nation’s best squads.
LSU’s 4×400-meter relays will be in action on Friday night as they are scheduled to compete in the invitational portion of the meet. The women’s relay foursome steps onto the track at 8:40 p.m. followed by the running of the men’s relay at 9:35 p.m.
While both 4×400-meter relay squads are already provisionally qualified for the NCAA meet, the men’s DMR is looking to establish itself as one of the nation’s best as seniors Reggie Dardar and Elkana Kosgei, junior Reuben Twijukye and sophomores Armanti Hayes, Jamaal James and John Kosgei make up the relay pool.
“We’re looking for both of our mile relay teams to show great improvement this weekend. They should challenge the automatic standard at this meet,” Shaver said. “We’re also looking forward to seeing our top distance medley relay team on the track for the first time this season. We feel like that group has the chance to help us on a national level this season.”
In addition to both 4×400-meter relay teams, four LSU athletes are also scheduled to compete in open events during the invitational portion of the meet on Friday night.
Elkana Kosgei will make his season debut in the 800-meter run, while senior Kelly Baptiste and sophomore Trindon Holliday will line up against the nation’s top professional sprinters in the 60-meter dash and John Kosgei is scheduled to compete in the men’s invitational mile.
Shaver said he is particularly anxious to see how LSU’s participants in both the 400 meters and 800 meters respond following a competitive weekend at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Dardar, Hayes and senior Deonna Lawrence are among those attempting to qualify for the NCAA meet in the 400, while James, Twijukye and junior Kayann Thompson look to do so in the 800.
“It’s important for the men and women in events like the 400 and 800 to put themselves in a position to qualify at this meet,” Shaver said. “They are running out of those opportunities with each passing meet, and I believe they’re going to show up ready to run this weekend.”
Many of LSU’s field event athletes will also have the opportunity to improve their postseason position this weekend at the Tyson Invitational, including junior Jeremy Hicks (long jump), junior Ricky Jean-Francois (shot put), junior Andrea Linton (long jump, triple jump), sophomore Will Coppage (long jump) and freshman Zedric Thomas (long jump, triple jump).
“We have several athletes who really need to step up and show some improvement this weekend if they want to help us in the championship meets,” Shaver said. “Our jumpers can take a big step in that direction with the competition they will face at this meet. I’d also like to see Ricky Jean-Francois show some improvement in the shot put.
“Ricky maybe took a bit of a step back in New York last weekend, but I know he’s excited about stepping back into the circle at this meet. He’s prepared himself to throw well.”
After returning to Baton Rouge from the Tyson Invitational, the Tigers and Lady Tigers will play host to the LSU Twilight Invitational on Feb. 22 before heading back to the Randal Tyson Track Center on Feb. 29 for the start of the SEC Indoor Championships. Arkansas will also play host to the NCAA Indoor Championships from March 14-15.