BATON ROUGE — Seven former LSU standouts will join many of the nation’s premier athletes in Boston this weekend for the 2008 AT&T USA Indoor Track and Field Championships that are scheduled to get underway Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center.
Athletes that finish either first or second in their event will earn the right to represent the United States at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, from March 7-9.
Lady Tiger great Lolo Jones is looking to defend her U.S. Indoor title in the 60-meter hurdles after striking gold in 2007 with a then personal best time of 7.88 seconds in the final. Jones enters the meet with the fastest time by an American this season at 7.77.
Jones, who was a three-time national champion and 11-time All-American during a brilliant four-year career at LSU from 2001-04, set her new personal best in the event with a runner-up finish at the BW Bank Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Feb. 10 en route to being named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week the following week.
Other former Lady Tigers scheduled to compete this weekend include Muna Lee in the 60-meter dash and Cynetheia Rooks in the 400 meters.
Reigning Olympic silver medalist John Moffitt leads a contingent of four former Tigers who are scheduled to compete this weekend. Moffitt, who wrapped up his LSU career in 2004 as a two-time NCAA champion and six-time All-American, looks to improve upon his sixth-place finish in the long jump at the USA Indoors a year ago.
Former Tigers Kelly Willie and Derrick Brew are hoping to represent the United States in the 400 meters at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, while former LSU standout and school record holder Jeffrey Fisher is attempting to qualify in the 800-meter run.
In addition, Kristal Yush, the wife of LSU throws coach Derek Yush, is among the favorites to win the U.S. Indoor title in the weight throw as she enters the meet with the third best mark in the world this season at 70 feet, 10 ? inches. Yush competed in the hammer throw at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan, this past summer.