The LSU track and field teams are gearing up for another banner year this spring and are in the midst of a strenuous fall training regimen designed to help them compete against the nation’s best. The Tigers and Lady Tigers form the premier combined program in all of collegiate track and field with an impressive 31 NCAA championships and 46 Southeastern Conference championships all-time.
First in a nine-part series updating LSU’s progress during the fall training season will focus on the sprints and hurdles group.
BATON ROUGE — LSU boasts the proudest tradition in the sprints and hurdles in all of collegiate track and field, and the Tigers and Lady Tigers are back to work this fall to prepare for another banner season when they compete for the first time in January.
LSU is currently in its fifth week of training after returning to the track for the start of fall practice and is sure to compete for a national championship once again on the strength of its sprints and hurdles group.
Head coach Dennis Shaver and the LSU coaching staff has been meticulous in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each athlete during the first five weeks of fall training, while the Tigers and Lady Tigers have been hard at work to refine sprint mechanics and techniques during that time.
Strength training has also played an important role in the development of LSU’s athletes since the Tigers and Lady Tigers returned to the track as they take part in Olympic weight lifting three times a week while working toward improved general strength and body building. LSU’s sprinters and hurdlers also take part in tempo workouts each week to assist in the recovery process.
“We are extremely proud of the fitness level and condition of our athletes returning to the team this fall,” Shaver said. “They did a great job in the off-season to prepare themselves for a great season next spring. I am especially proud because that is so very important for us to have a productive fall training schedule.”
The Lady Tigers feature a powerful 1-2 punch as senior Samantha Henry and junior Kenyanna Wilson are back after combining for seven All-America and six All-SEC honors in 2009.
Henry won five All-America honors of her own in 2009 and will open the 2010 season as the reigning SEC Indoor champion in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes and SEC Outdoor champion in the 200-meter dash. After being crowned the SEC champion in the 100-meter dash, Wilson earned individual All-America honors with a third-place finish in both the 60 and 100 meters at the NCAA Championships.
The Tigers are not without some firepower of their own as senior Trindon Holliday will return to the team for his final season of indoor eligibility after competing solely with the football team this fall.
Holliday claimed the title of NCAA 100-meter champion after racing to the finish line in 10.00 seconds at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships a year ago, while he was also the NCAA runner-up in the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships last March.
“We are very fortunate to have a solid nucleus returning to the team this season as we prepare for another outstanding season this spring,” Shaver said. “Our returning athletes are having a tremendous fall training season to this point, while our newcomers have done a great job of acclimating themselves to this type of environment. I’m pleased with the transition they have made to what is demanded of them at this level.”