TUCSON, Ariz. — The LSU track and field teams opened the outdoor season Friday night and six athletes wasted no time in qualifying for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships on the first day of competition at the Willie Williams Classic at Drachman Stadium.
Sophomore Kim Williams was the first Lady Tiger to post a regional qualifying mark during the evening session as she stepped into the hammer circle and uncorked a new personal best throw of 183 feet on her first attempt of the competition.
Williams bettered her previous PR by three inches and improved her season opening mark by more than eight feet after opening the 2007 season with a mark of 174-8 at the LSU Tiger Relays.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers also featured three regional qualifiers in the javelin as sophomore Preston Chatham won the event title on the men’s side with a throw of 220-11 and junior Chad Radgowski finished runner-up with a throw of 213-6, while junior Anna Lyons took third place in the women’s competition with a regional qualifying mark of 149-6.
A pair of Tigers also punched their ticket to the regional meet on the track with qualifying times in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Gabriel Mvumvure was the first-place finisher in the event after crossing the finish line in 21.23 seconds, while sophomore Armanti Hayes finished close behind in second place in the same heat with a time of 21.28.
The 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships are scheduled for May 30-31 and will be held at John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas.
In addition, the Tigers added a third event winner on the evening as senior distance standout Joseph Simuchimba took top honors in the men’s 5,000-meter run by nipping Northern Arizona’s Morten Bostrom (14:36.12) at the tape with a winning time of 14 minutes, 35.89 seconds.
Action at the Willie Williams Classic continues Saturday at 11 a.m. CDT with the field events followed by the first events on the track at 2:10 p.m. The Tigers and Lady Tigers will follow their trip to the desert by playing host to the LSU Tiger Relays at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium as the two-day meet is scheduled from March 28-29.