BATON ROUGE — Following an outstanding performance at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend, the Lady Tigers have skyrocketed all the way to No. 3 in the latest poll released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The LSU women, who entered the SEC Indoor Championships ranked No. 9 nationally, vaulted six spots in the latest coaches’ poll released Wednesday after earning a second-place finish at the meet. The Lady Tigers were the defending champions after winning the SEC Indoor title in 2008.
The Tigers have dropped two spots in this week’s ranking to No. 7 after placing sixth in the team standings at the SEC Indoor Championships.
Junior All-American Samantha Henry led the Lady Tigers by sweeping SEC Indoor titles in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. She is the third Lady Tiger to sweep sprint titles in the 60 and 200 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships, joining the likes of LSU greats Peta-Gaye Dowdie in 2000 and Muna Lee in 2002. Auburn’s Kerron Stewart was the last athlete to do so in 2004.
Henry now ranks No. 2 in the NCAA in the 60-meter dash with a seasonal-best time of 7.19 while also ranking No. 6 nationally in the 200 meters with a top time of 23.30.
Henry was not the only Lady Tiger to post a national Top 10 performance at the SEC Indoor meet as junior LaTavia Thomas (800 meters), sophomore Kenyanna Wilson (60 meters), sophomore Brittany Hall (800 meters), freshman Rachel Laurent (pole vault) and the 4×400-meter relay team have solidified their position among the nation’s Top 10 in their respective events.
Both Thomas and Laurent are NCAA title contenders after recording the No. 3 mark nationally in their events. Thomas clocked a new indoor personal best of 2 minutes, 4.27 second in the final of the 800 meters, while Laurent cleared a new school record and overall personal-best height of 14 feet, ? inch to become LSU’s first ever SEC champion in the pole vault.
Wilson set a new personal best of 7.28 in the 60 meters to finish the weekend ranked No. 8 in the NCAA, while the Lady Tigers’ 4×400 relay ranks No. 8 with a time of 3:37.50. Hall cracked the Top 10 at No. 10 in the 800 meters with a personal best of 2:05.70 in the final.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers return home this weekend to host to the LSU NCAA Indoor Qualifier on Friday night at the Carl Maddox Field House.
USTFCCCA Top 25
Women
1. Texas A&M, 131.24
2. Tennessee, 114.85
3. LSU, 114.59
4. Florida State, 113.40
5. Oregon, 100.79
6. Michigan, 78.50
7. Virginia Tech, 74.23
8. South Carolina, 71.62
9. Penn State, 70.25
10. Clemson, 68.22
11. Texas Tech, 68.18
12. North Carolina, 66.29
13. Arkansas, 64.33
14. Auburn, 62.26
15. Texas, 61.12
16. Nebraska, 58.80
17. Arizona State, 57.42
18. Colorado, 54.99
19. Washington, 52.27
20. BYU, 51.99
21. Minnesota, 51.96
22. Connecticut, 49.37
23. Florida, 46.98
24. Miami (Fla.), 46.59
25. Stanford, 46.55
Men
1. Oregon, 176.27
2. Arkansas, 143.60
3. Florida State, 122.07
4. Nebraska, 110.15
5. Florida, 90.45
6. Texas A&M, 83.97
7. LSU, 79.39
8. Texas, 75.15
9. Oklahoma, 72.88
10. Baylor, 72.58
11. Texas Tech, 67.37
12. Arizona State, 66.83
13. California, 59.67
14. South Carolina, 55.44
15. Kentucky, 54.42
16. Washington, 52.18
17. Minnesota, 50.17
18. Oklahoma State, 49.93
19. Georgia, 46.87
20. Missouri, 46.77
21. UCLA, 45.70
22. Tennessee, 44.56
23. Arizona, 43.69
24. Auburn, 43.27
25. Providence, 39.90