EUGENE, Ore. — Saturday marked the end of the 2009 outdoor season for a pair of LSU All-Americans as senior Jeremy Hicks and sophomore Walter Henning suited up one last time for the Tigers on the third day of competition at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Henning wrapped up his 2009 season with a fifth-place finish in the men’s hammer throw with an impressive mark of 233 feet, 5 ? inches on his fourth throw of the competition.
Henning enjoyed a record-setting sophomore season with the Tigers while earning a pair of well-deserved All-America honors, winning two SEC titles and setting a pair of LSU school records.
A native of Kings Park, N.Y., Henning looks to be a force in the throws once again in 2010 as he was the NCAA runner-up in the hammer throw at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships while finishing the season as the No. 2 performer in the event with a seasonal-best mark of 235-11. That mark is a new LSU school record by more than 13 feet.
Not only that, but Henning also earned All-America honors during the indoor season by finishing fourth in the 35-pound weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He is also the reigning SEC champion in both the weight throw and the hammer throw.
“Considering this was my first (USA Championships), I’m really happy with the result,” Henning said. “I’ve thrown against these guys in a few meets before, so it wasn’t as much of a culture shock as it might have been. I’m pretty disappointed with those fouls because I felt that they were going to be some pretty big throws, but I threw farther than I did at NCAAs and had my third best meet ever, so I can’t really complain too much with my performance.”
Hicks was unable to advance to the long jump final in his last competition as an LSU Tiger, while posting a mark of 24-11 ? in his first ever appearance at the USA Championships.
Hicks, a senior from Houston, Texas, also wraps up his 2009 season as a two-time All-America at LSU after finishing as the national runner-up at the NCAA Indoor Championships back in March before earning a fifth-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships two weeks ago. He finishes his collegiate career with an overall personal best of 26-3 in his specialty.
Saturday was also an important day for former Lady Tiger and 2008 U.S. Olympian Lolo Jones as it marked her first hurdle race since suffering a hamstring injury at the Drake Relays on April 25.
Jones lined up in the second of three first-round heats in the 100-meter hurdles and crossed the finish line with a wind-aided time of 12.89 seconds to take third place in the race and qualify for a semifinal to be run Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. The final will follow at 4:22 p.m.
The top-three finishers in the final of the 100-meter hurdles will represent the United States at the 2009 IAAF World Championships to be held in Berlin, Germany, from Aug. 15-23.
“I was rusty, really rusty. I knew it was a risk not running any races before the trials, but I needed to do that to have time to rehab,” Jones said following her race. “It was good that I finished the race. My technique was horrible. I was hitting hurdles and didn’t have my rhythm, but I’ll only go up from a race like that. We’ll come back out and do it again tomorrow.”
Three former LSU athletes also advanced to the semifinal round of the 200-meter dash during the third day of competition, led by 2009 USA Championships 100-meter silver medalist Muna Lee.
Lee finished runner-up in her preliminary heat with the eighth-fastest of the day at 22.97 that was run with a slight tailwind of 2.1 meters per second. She was not the only LSU great to advance in the event as Kelly Willie (20.42) and Xavier Carter (20.51) qualified for the men’s semifinal.
The 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will come to an end on Sunday as it will get underway for LSU with Jones running in the semifinal of the 100-meter hurdles at 2 p.m. CT. The meet is scheduled for a live television broadcast on NBC from 3-5 p.m.