COLUMBUS, Ohio — Incoming signees Walter Henning and Rachel Laurent gave LSU fans a glimpse of what they can expect from the track and field program in the coming years with a pair of record-setting performances Sunday at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships.
Henning unleashed a meet record throw of 242 feet, 4 inches to successfully defend his title in the hammer throw, while Laurent followed later in the afternoon with a meet record of her own as she cleared a height of 13-10 to win her first USA Junior title in the pole vault.
With their performance, the duo has earned the right to represent LSU and the United States at the 2008 IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, from July 8-13.
Henning, who set the American junior record in the 6-kg. hammer with a personal best of 251-10 back on May 10, broke his own meet record with a mark of 242-4 on his very first throw of the competition. The sophomore transfer from the University of North Carolina fouled on his second attempt before passing on his last four throws due to a slight strain in his left quadriceps.
The native of Kings Park, N.Y., has now won three straight USA Junior titles and will compete in the event at the World Junior Championships for the second time in his career.
“I’m really excited about going to World Juniors,” Henning said following his win. “I have a real good seed mark going in there from the beginning of May, and hopefully I can get healed up a little bit and be competitive. The whole goal coming in here was to make the team, so I just didn’t need two people to pass me. I was fortunate to come out on top today.
“If I didn’t hurt myself, I feel like I could have gone a little farther. I’ve had good practices the last couple of days and have been throwing far in practice back in Baton Rouge. The U.S. is in a huge drought with the hammer throwers internationally, and hopefully Conor (McCullough) and I will be able to get over and change that.”
Laurent followed by dominating the pole vault competition as she cleared the bar at 13-10 on her second attempt to break the previous meet record by a single centimeter.
The Houma native fouled out of the competition with the bar set at 14-1 ? as a clearance on any of her three attempts would have set a new American junior record in the event.
Laurent, who ranks No. 2 all-time among high school girls in the United States with a career best of 14-0 set earlier this season, was in a class of her own at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium as she finished nearly five inches better than her nearest competitor.
“It’s a great way to end my senior year,” Laurent said. “I’ve been looking forward to this since last year, and I’ve been working really hard to get it. The first goal was to make the (World Junior) team and I didn’t care about anything else except that. I’m looking forward to competing in an international meet. It will be great to get that experience.
“The second goal was to get the record. It would have been even better if I would have set a PR and broken the national record, but I’m still really excited and don’t think it has quite hit me yet. I hope I can jump 14-1 ? at World Juniors. That would be awesome.”
LSU signee Robert Simmons was also impressive in the final of the 400-meter dash on Sunday as he nearly set a new personal best with a time of 46.44 seconds to place fifth in the event. Simmons, who qualified for the final with a preliminary time of 46.82 on Saturday, will step onto the track for LSU as a freshman next season with a personal best of 46.40 in the open quarter.
With his fifth-place finish in the 400-meter final, Simmons will wear the red, white and blue as a member of the 4×400-meter relay pool making the trip to the World Junior Championships.
Three other Lady Tigers also competed against the nation’s best at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships as sophomore-to-be Tenaya Jones finished sixth in the final of the 100-meter hurdles, while incoming freshman Allison Horner took fourth in the hammer throw and fellow signee Brieanna Kennedy placed seventh in the javelin and 21st in the discus.