KINGSTON, Jamaica — LSU sophomore Samantha Henry raced out of the blocks in the prelims of the 100-meter dash and crossed the finish line with a new personal best time of 11.16 seconds during Friday’s action at the 2008 Jamaican National Senior Championships.
Henry, who earned four All-America honors during a breakout sophomore season at LSU, picked up right where she left off at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by winning her qualifying heat and advancing to Saturday’s semifinal at the National Stadium in Kingston.
After entering the meet with a personal best of 11.21, Henry moves into the No. 9 spot on LSU’s all-time list in the event after clocking the second-fastest time of Friday’s prelim.
She will be joined in the 100-meter semifinal by Lady Tiger great Peta-Gaye Dowdie, who posted a preliminary time of 11.38 in her qualifying heat. Dowdie is one of true legends of women’s track and field at LSU as she wrapped up her illustrious career as a Lady Tiger in 2000 as a three-time NCAA champion and 19-time All-American in four glorious seasons.
The semifinal round of the women’s 100-meter dash is scheduled to run at 5:10 p.m. CDT with the top eight qualifiers advancing to Sunday’s final heat.
Also advancing to Saturday’s semifinal action was former Tiger standout Isa Phillips, who ran the fastest qualifying time in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a seasonal best 48.78. Phillips is one of the up-and-coming 400-meter hurdlers in the world as he moves into the Top 10 worldwide on the season. The semifinal round of the event is scheduled to run at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Junior Nickiesha Wilson was also slated to line up in the qualifying round of the women’s 400-meter hurdles on Friday evening but will instead line up in a one-section final on Saturday at 6:25 p.m. as there were not enough competitors for a qualifying round. The reigning NCAA champion is the second-fastest Jamaican in the field with a seasonal best of 54.45.