BATON ROUGE — With LSU closing its doors this week for Spring Break, the Tiger and Lady Tiger track and field teams have spent the week in Tempe, Ariz., where they continue the outdoor season Saturday at the 30th Sun Angel Classic at Arizona State’s Sun Angel Stadium.
The action gets underway in the field at noon CT followed by the first events on the track at 4:20 p.m. Full results can be found online following the meet at www.LSUsports.net.
Among the highlights for LSU this weekend will be athletes having the opportunity to open up in the 200 meters, 400 meters and 800 meters for the first time this outdoor season.
While running the 100-meter dash at the Sun Angel Classic this weekend, junior Samantha Henry and sophomore Kenyanna Wilson will also line up in the 200-meter dash for the first time as they look to qualify for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. Each has already qualified in the 100 meters as they rank among the top seven performers in the NCAA this season.
A trio of Lady Tigers will also run their first 800-meter race of the 2009 outdoor season as senior Kayann Thompson, junior LaTavia Thomas and sophomore Brittany Hall are also hoping to earn a qualifying time for the regional meet to be held May 29-30 in Louisville, Ky.
The Lady Tigers boast one of the nation’s deepest and most talented middle distance groups with Thomas, Thompson and Hall each making an appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. In fact, Thomas earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the NCAA final.
The Tigers also feature a number of athletes who will open up in their specialty event Saturday at the Sun Angel Classic as they look to add their name to LSU’s postseason roster.
Competition in the men’s premiere 400-meter dash is likely to be a preview of the NCAA final as freshman Robert Simmons makes his outdoor debut for the Tigers. Simmons, who was an indoor All-American following his fourth-place finish in the 400 meters at the NCAA Indoor meet, is set to race against All-Americans Jordan Boase of Washington and Jarrin Solomon of New Mexico.
Boase finished third while Solomon placed fifth in the 400 meters at the NCAA Indoor meet. Not only that, but Joel Phillip of Arizona State and Terrance Reid of Northern Iowa will be in the 400 this weekend after earning All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships a year ago.
While three Lady Tigers will run the 800 meters for the first time this weekend, Jamaal James and Richard Jones will line up for the Tigers looking to earn NCAA regional qualifying times.
The women’s pole vault and men’s hammer throw at the Sun Angel Classic are also likely to give a preview of what is to come at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June with each featuring a trio of All-Americans from the NCAA Indoor Championships a month ago.
LSU freshman Rachel Laurent, who earned her first career All-America honor with an impressive fifth-place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor meet, will square off against Alicia Rue of Minnesota and Gabriella Duclos of Arizona for the event title this weekend. Rue earned a second-place finish at the national meet, while Duclos followed closely behind in fourth place.
In the men’s hammer throw, LSU sophomore Walter Henning will battle Jason Lewis of Arizona State and Simon Wardaugh of Boise State for the title. Each earned indoor All-America honors in the weight throw as Lewis won the title, while Henning finished fourth and Wardaugh took fifth.
After competing at the Sun Angel Classic this weekend, the Tigers and Lady Tigers will return to Baton Rouge to play host to the LSU Alumni Gold meet on April 18 at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium. They will then wrap up the regular season with their annual trip to Philadelphia, Pa., to compete in the 115th running of the Penn Relays to be held at historic Franklin Field.