GREENSBORO, N.C. – After kicking off the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Thursday with seven qualifiers into the national semifinals, the LSU track and field teams added 13 qualifiers for the squad that will be making the trip to Eugene, Ore., in two weeks to the semifinal and final rounds of the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
In just two days of competition at Irwin Belk Track, the Tigers and Lady Tigers have combined for a total of 20 NCAA semifinalists who have earned top-12 finishes in their respective events.
LSU also saw six student-athletes advance to the national quarterfinals during Friday’s action on the track as the next round will be held in Saturday’s finale at North Carolina A&T University.
All athletes with a top-12 finish this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds earn a berth into the semifinal and final rounds of the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted at
Hayward Field at the University of Oregon from June 9-12.
“Our athletes have been outstanding through the first two days. I’m proud of the way they’ve shown up to compete this weekend,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “We’ve done nothing to hurt ourselves with what we want to achieve at the NCAA meet. Today was another great day of qualifying for us as we want to position ourselves to compete for a national championship two weeks from now.
“We also put ourselves in position for another great day tomorrow. It is important that we come back here tomorrow and finish strong and get ourselves prepared to compete when we head to Eugene.”
Following an outstanding performance in the field events in Thursday’s competition, LSU set the track on fire during Friday’s qualifying action that was highlighted by an impressive 1-2-3 sweep by the women in the third heat of the quarterfinal round of the 100-meter dash.
With the top three finishers in each of the three heats earning an automatic qualifying berth into the semis, senior Samantha Henry, junior Kenyanna Wilson and freshman Takeia Pinckney put their All-America form on display while running the three fastest times of the quarterfinal round. Henry matched her best of the season with a wind-legal time of 11.18 seconds to win the heat, while Wilson followed in second with a seasonal best of 11.22 and Pinckney took third after matching her seasonal best with a time of 11.26.
Henry later returned to the track in LSU’s final event of the evening and crossed the finish line with a new wind-legal seasonal best and the fastest qualifying time of the day at 22.99 in the 200-meter prelims.
Freshman Kimberlyn Duncan also won her first-round heat of the 200-meter dash with a wind-legal PR of 23.08 for the second-fastest time overall, while Pinckney crossed the finish line in third place in her heat with the eighth-fastest time of the first round at 23.36.
After advancing three sprinters into the semifinals of the 100-meter dash, three Lady Tigers punched their ticket to Eugene in the 800-meter run with an impressive performance in the two-lap race. Senior LaTavia Thomas led the way by winning her heat with the fourth-fastest time of the day at 2 minutes, 3.51 seconds as she was followed by fellow semifinalists Kayann Thompson (2:03.58) and Charlene Lipsey (2:05.34).
Like Duncan and Lipsey, sophomore Cassandra Tate set a new personal best in her event as she earned an automatic qualifying spot in Eugene with a third-place finish in her quarterfinal heat of the 400-meter hurdles. Tate clocked in at 56.89 for the seventh-fastest time of the day en route to the national semifinals.
The Lady Tigers also added two NCAA semifinalists in the field events on Friday as senior Kim Williams advanced in the hammer (187-4) and sophomore Rachel Laurent advanced in the pole vault (12-11 ½).
While the Lady Tigers added nine semifinalists to their squad making the trip to Eugene, the Tigers saw a total of four athletes punch their ticket with outstanding performances in Friday’s quarterfinals.
As he has done all season long, senior All-American Richard Jones set the pace in the 800-meter run with another personal-best performance. Jones set a new PR for the third time this season as he crossed the line in 1:46.42 for the second-fastest time of the quarterfinal round. Jones continues to show consistency in his specialty as it marks the third time this season for him to break the 1:47 barrier in the half mile.
Jones will be joined in Eugene by freshman teammate Sadiki White, who shattered his own best by nearly one full second with a time of 1:47.57. White, who entered the meet with a top time of 1:48.35, raced into the No. 8 spot on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list with the eighth-fastest time of the quarterfinals.
Senior Jerel Hill might have been LSU’s most impressive performer on the afternoon as he set two PRs in earning a trip with the Tigers to Hayward Field in Eugene. In the quarterfinal round of the 100-meter dash on Friday, Hill set a wind-legal personal best for the second-straight day as he won his heat with a time of 10.22 to advance to the national semifinals. He then returned to the track for the first round of the 200 and finished runner-up in his heat with a personal-best time of 20.90 to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Fellow senior Armanti Hayes will also represent the Tigers in Eugene after advancing from the 400-meter quarterfinals with a time of 45.74 en route to a third-place finish in his heat.
In addition, a pair of LSU sprint hurdlers advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinal round as sophomore Barrett Nugent clocked the top prelim time in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at 13.63 and junior Tenaya Jones set a 12th-fastest qualifying time in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a wind-aided 13.21.
After adding six quarterfinalists in preliminary events on Friday, LSU will have 14 athletes competing for a spot in the NCAA semifinals on the final day of action Saturday at Irwin Belk Track.
“We’re treating each day of the NCAA Championships as a different track meet. That’s seven one-day track meets between this weekend and when we go to Eugene,” Shaver said. “We’ve been outstanding for the first two days, but we have a long road ahead of us to get where we want to go. We need to show up at the track tomorrow with the same mindset to compete like we’ve shown these first two days.”
Saturday’s events at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds are scheduled to begin for LSU at 11 a.m. CDT in the field and 5 p.m. on the track. Fans can also follow up-to-the-minute and behind-the scenes coverage of the Tigers and Lady Tigers throughout the weekend by following @LSUTrackField on Twitter and by becoming a fan of the official LSU Track & Field group on Facebook.
LSU’s Qualifiers for the NCAA Championships Semifinals in Eugene, Ore.
Note: All marks and places were achieved this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds
Tigers
Name, Event, Time/Mark (Place)
Will Coppage, Long Jump, 24-9 ¼ (11)
Josh Dominguez, Pole Vault, 17-2 ¾ (T9)
Damar Forbes, Long Jump, 25-8 (3)
Armanti Hayes, 400 meters, 45.74 (11)
Jerel Hill, 100 meters, 10.22 (7)
Walter Henning, Hammer Throw, 222-2 (3)
Richard Jones, 800 meters, 1:46.42 (2)
Michael Lauro, Hammer Throw, 211-6 (6)
Zedric Thomas, Long Jump, 25-0 ½ (6)
Sadiki White, 800 meters, 1:47.57 (8)
Lady Tigers
Name, Event, Time/Mark (Place)
Brittani Carter, High Jump, 5-11 ¼ (6)
Samantha Henry, 100 meters, 11.18 (1)
Rachel Laurent, Pole Vault, 12-11 ½ (8)
Charlene Lipsey, 800 meters, 2:05.34 (10)
Takeia Pinckney, 100 meters, 11.26 (3)
Cassandra Tate, 400 hurdles, 56.87 (7)
LaTavia Thomas, 800 meters, 2:03.51 (4)
Kayann Thompson, 800 meters, 2:03.58 (5)
Kim Williams, Hammer Throw, 187-4 (9)
Kenyanna Wilson, 100 meters, 11.22 (2)