AMES, Iowa – The LSU track and field program added its 18th automatic qualifier for the NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday afternoon as sophomore middle distance standout Charlene Lipsey clocked a new lifetime personal record of 2 minutes, 4.55 seconds in the 800-meter run at the Iowa State Qualifier.
After posting a then indoor personal best of 2:06.11 en route to a third-place finish in the 800-meter finals at the SEC Indoor Championships last weekend, Lipsey moved into the Top 10 of the NCAA ranking this season in the 800 meters with her performance Saturday at the Lied Recreation Center.
The sophomore from Hempstead, N.Y., has displayed an All-America form in recent weeks as the 2:04.55 she posted ranks No. 6 in the NCAA this season and No. 4 on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list.
With her performance, Lipsey improves upon her previous lifetime PR of 2:05.34 she set as a freshman in 2010 while earning a 10th-place finish at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds held in Greensboro, N.C. She is now set to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time in her career.
Lipsey was not the only Lady Tiger to improve her 2011 seasonal-best performance and put herself into a position to qualify for the national meet as junior sprinter Cassandra Tate also set a lifetime PR during the Iowa State National Qualifier by winning the women’s 400-meter dash with a time of 53.15. She dropped her previous personal best of 53.27 set in the 400-meter final at the SEC Indoor Championships last week.
Tate moved up four spots from No. 18 to No. 14 on the NCAA performance list this season as she is now in position to receive an at-large berth into the national meet.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers are sure to be in the national championship picture next week as they head to the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas, to compete in the 2011 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships scheduled to run March 11-12 at Texas A&M University.
Through Saturday’s competition at the Iowa State National Qualifier, the Tigers and Lady Tigers teamed for 18 automatic qualifiers into the NCAA Championships, including nine qualifiers for each team. They feature 13 other performers who rank among the Top 20 nationally in their respective events as they find themselves in a position to earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Championships.