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.
Fifth in a nine-part series updating LSU’s progress during the fall training season will focus on the sprints and hurdles group.
BATON ROUGE — With a solid conditioning base already established through weeks of strength and endurance training, the LSU sprinters and hurdlers have now entered the home stretch of their fall training schedule as they continue their preparation for the upcoming 2010 season.
In accordance with NCAA rules, the LSU track teams were able to increase their weekly training regimen from eight hours to 20 hours per week on Nov. 2.
As a result, LSU’s sprinters and hurdlers are now able to utilize a more technical approach in the last few weeks of fall training. For example, athletes are now able to use blocks to perfect technique starts and use hurdles to build the rhythm that is necessary for future success in the events.
In addition, the LSU coaching staff has instituted a more challenging weight training program for athletes in which they now lift between 80 percent and 90 percent of their maximum weight on Olympic lifts.
“We are pleased with the progress that both groups are making at this time of the season. We always feel like this is the most demanding time of the season for our student-athletes,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “Our training loads have increased in both volume and intensity with the work being done. Also, there are many challenges that our athletes must face academically as we near the end of the semester.
“But we are excited about where we are at this point. We are having an outstanding fall prep phase as we head into the regular season. We could not ask for more from our student-athletes.”
Sophomores Barrett Nugent and Cassandra Tate have really caught Shaver’s eye this fall while showing a dramatic improvement in their performance from the end of their freshman seasons.
Nugent burst onto the scene as a freshman a year ago as he earned a spot in the final of the 110 hurdles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Nugent was the ninth place finisher in the event final in his first ever appearance at the NCAA Championships. He did earn All-America honors as a member of LSU’s 4×100-meter relay team that finished as the national runner-up.
Tate also enjoyed a solid freshman campaign at LSU as she was an NCAA Championships qualifier in the 200-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay. She looks to earn her first career All-America honor this spring.
“While I am very pleased with the progress of both groups as a whole this fall, I think Barrett Nugent and Cassandra Tate have really taken their performance to another level,” Shaver said. “I think those two have really embraced what we are trying to do this fall and have prepared themselves to have fantastic seasons. Success in the spring all starts during our training in the fall.
“I also believe our newcomers have done a tremendous job in making the transition to the collegiate level this fall. We are excited about the overall talent level of our newcomers and about the contributions they are going to make throughout their careers here at LSU.”