BATON ROUGE – The LSU track and field teams enjoyed an outstanding weekend in New York at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational, and junior Walter Henning and freshman Takeia Pinckney received recognition from the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday for their performance.
Henning picked up the SEC Male Field Athlete of the Week accolade for the second-straight week, while Pinckney was honored as the SEC Female Freshman of the Week for the first time this season.
Henning has grown accustomed to breaking records during his LSU career, and his performance Saturday at the New Balance Track and Field Center was no different as he improved his NCAA-leading mark and set a new personal best in the 35-pound weight throw for the second week in a row. He unleashed a throw of 76 feet, 6 ½ inches on his fifth attempt for an easy victory in the event.
Not only did Henning set a new personal best, but he also shattered his own LSU record of 75-8 set at the New Mexico Invitational a week ago and his own New Balance Collegiate Invitational meet record of 72-8 ½ set as a sophomore in 2009. His throw of 76-6 ½ is also a collegiate facility record at The Armory.
With his effort Saturday, Henning received the Dr. Phillip Edwards Award as the Most Outstanding Male Competitor for this year’s New Balance Collegiate Invitational.
Pinckney became the fastest freshman in the NCAA this season with her third-place finish in the 60-meter dash on Friday night at The Armory, in which she clocked a new personal-best time of 7.31 seconds in the event final. In fact, Pinckney clocked back-to-back times of 7.31 in the preliminary round and finals to improve her standing on the NCAA provisional qualifying list this season.
Her performance ranks No. 1 among freshman in both the SEC and NCAA this season, while it ranks No. 3 among all performers in the SEC and No. 6 overall in the NCAA in 2010.