BATON ROUGE — The LSU track and field teams have shown steady progress each week during the indoor season and will bring a pair of top-five rankings to the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend when they compete in the 2010 SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The Tigers are ranked No. 3 and the Lady Tigers are ranked No. 5 in the latest power ranking released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday morning.
This marks the second week in a row in which the men are ranked No. 3 nationally in the USTFCCA Top 25, while the women have moved up two spots from their No. 7 ranking a week ago.
The Tigers have been led by the consistent performance of juniors Walter Henning and Zedric Thomas in 2010 as each ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in their respective events. Henning is the nation’s No. 1-ranked performer in the 35-pound weight throw with a top mark of 76 feet, 6 ½ inches, while Thomas is also the nation’s No. 1-ranked long jumper with a seasonal-best performance of 26-3.
In addition, sophomore Barrett Nugent ranks No. 4 nationally in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 7.71 seconds and the Tigers’ 4×400-meter relay ranks No. 4 in the NCAA with a time of 3:07.22.
The Lady Tigers also boast four performers who rank among the nation’s top five in their specialty events this season. Sophomore Rachel Laurent is No. 3 in the NCAA in the pole vault with a top mark of 14-3 ¼, while LSU’s 4×400-meter relay team is also ranked No. 3 nationally with a seasonal best of 3:34.11.
Senior All-American LaTavia Thomas is also the NCAA’s No. 4-ranked performer in the 800 meters with a top time of 2:04.55, and junior Brittani Carter is tied for the No. 4 spot with a best mark of 6-0 ¾.
The 2010 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships are set to begin on Friday at the Randal Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas. The meet will continue Saturday and Sunday with this year’s SEC Indoor team champions being crowned following Sunday’s action.
USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Team Rankings
Men
Team (Points) Last Week
1. Texas A&M (182.08) 1
2. Oregon (135.07) 2
3. LSU (107.40) 3
4. Florida (93.03) 4
5. Arizona State (83.61) 5
6. Arkansas (80.38) 6
7. Indiana (79.80) 7
8. Nebraska (77.84) 8
9. Texas Tech (73.95) 9
10. Baylor (70.94) 10
11. Penn State (69.66) 11
12. Oklahoma (61.36) 16
13. Florida State (55.45) 12
14. Stanford (55.13) 13
15. Virginia Tech (54.34) 15
16. Auburn (52.12) 14
17. Minnesota (51.48) 17
18. Arizona (50.95) 18
19. Northern Arizona (49.69) NR
20. Ohio State (46.10) 24
21. Alabama (45.45) 20
22. New Mexico (44.90) 19
23. Kentucky (44.03) 21
24. California (42.96) 22
25. Georgia (41.32) 23
Women
Team (Points) Last Week
1. Oregon (198.11) 1
2. Texas A&M (158.38) 2
3. Florida (117.39) 3
4. Tennessee (106.73) 4
5. LSU (99.82) 7
6. Arkansas (98.64) 5
7. Clemson (89.55) 6
8. Villanova (89.04) 9
9. Auburn (83.40) 8
10. Penn State (81.59) 10
11. BYU (73.78) 12
12. South Illinois (72.79) 11
13. Louisville (66.39) 15
14. Nebraska (65.55) 14
15. Oklahoma (62.25) 13
16. Arizona (61.10) 16
17. UTEP (54.79) 17
18. Indiana State (53.73) 19
19. Indiana (50.39) 18
20. Florida State (44.87) 21
21. Virginia Tech (43.95) 20
22. West Virginia (43.10) NR
23. Middle Tennessee State (39.25) 22
24. Georgetown (38.55) 24
25. San Diego State (34.40) 25