BATON ROUGE – Members of the LSU Track & Field program continue to be honored by the Southeastern Conference for their performance each week as three athletes have been presented with SEC Athlete of the Week honors again this week after playing host to the LSU Relays during the weekend.
Freshman Aaron Ernest defended his title as the SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week after taking the award for the first time following his collegiate debut at the Louisiana Classics a week ago.
In addition, junior sprinter Kimberlyn Duncan has been chosen as the SEC Women’s Runner of the Week for the third time during the 2012 season, while senior Kyron Blaise has been recognized as the SEC Co-Men’s Field Athlete of the Week following an NCAA-leading performance this weekend.
This marks the second week in a row in which three LSU Track & Field athletes have earned SEC Athlete of the Week honors, and the sixth-straight week in which at least one Tiger or Lady Tiger has been picked by the league office dating back to Jan. 24 of the indoor season.
Ernest made it a perfect 2-for-2 in his collegiate career by claiming his second-straight 100-meter title this past weekend to highlight Saturday’s action at the LSU Relays held at Bernie Moore Stadium.
After clocking the fastest time of Friday’s preliminary round with a wind-legal effort of 10.38 seconds, he claimed the LSU Relays title on Saturday over senior All-American teammate Keyth Talley (10.28w) with a seasonal-best wind-aided time of 10.27 (+3.1). That place gives Ernest the No. 2-ranked time in the SEC and No. 7-ranked time in the NCAA run under all conditions in 2012.
A product of Homewood High School in Homewood, Ala., Ernest won his second-straight 100-meter title in as many appearances outdoors this season after clocking a wind-legal personal record of 10.31 during a collegiate debut at the Louisiana Classics held on Saturday, March 17.
Not only that, but Ernest also anchored LSU to the No. 1 time in the SEC and No. 5 time in the NCAA on the year in the 4×100-meter relay at 39.62 seconds in Friday’s preliminary round after teaming with senior Barrett Nugent, sophomore Shermund Allsop and Talley for the fastest qualifying time.
Duncan made her 2012 outdoor debut for the Lady Tigers at the LSU Relays while running the anchor leg of LSU’s winning 4×100-meter relay and 4×200-meter relay on Saturday afternoon.
After running the fastest time of the preliminary round at 43.94 in their 2012 debut, Duncan ran with such Lady Tiger standouts as sophomore Jasmin Stowers, senior Semoy Hackett and senior Rebecca Alexander in capturing the LSU Relays title in the 4×100 relay with a time of 43.86 in the final. They finished nearly three seconds ahead of runner-up Louisiana-Lafayette (46.62) with the No. 1-ranked effort in the SEC and No. 4-ranked time in the NCAA this season at 43.86 following this weekend’s action.
Duncan then anchored the Lady Tigers to a win in the 4×200-meter relay Saturday as she teamed with her teammates senior Cassandra Tate, Hackett and Alexander in posting the NCAA’s fastest time for the 2012 outdoor season at 1 minute, 32.64 seconds en route to a two-second victory.
A native of Katy, Texas, Duncan now turns her attention to the Texas Relays this weekend as she runs her first 100-meter dash of the season, while also anchoring the Lady Tigers’ 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
Blaise enjoyed an NCAA-leading performance of his own on Saturday in taking second place in the triple jump. He emerged as the NCAA’s leading qualifier with a top qualifying mark in the fifth round of jumps when he posted a wind-aided effort of 53 feet, 5 inches to move into second place.
Blaise then followed in the final round with a series-best mark of 54-2 ¾ to finish runner-up to the 54-7 ½ posted by LSU Relays champion Lawrence Willis of U.S. Express Track Club.
Blaise’s best of 54-2 ¾ does not count for NCAA qualification as it was recorded with an illegal tailwind of +5.4 meters per second. But with a top qualifying mark at 53-5, Blaise leaped to the top of the NCAA’s rankings for 2012. He also posted a top wind-legal mark of 51-10 ½ in his series of six jumps.
LSU Track & Field athletes have now earned a total of 15 SEC Athlete of the Week awards between both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2012. They will look to add to their total after competing this week at the 85th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays being held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.
LSU’s 2012 SEC Track & Field Athletes of the Week
SEC Men’s Runner of the Week
March 20 – Aaron Ernest
SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Feb. 7 – Damar Forbes
Feb. 14 – Damar Forbes
March 20 – Rodney Brown
March 27 – Kyron Blaise
SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week
March 20 – Aaron Ernest
March 27 – Aaron Ernest
SEC Women’s Runner of the Week
Jan. 24 – Cassandra Tate
Jan. 31 – Charlene Lipsey
Feb. 7 – Kimberlyn Duncan
Feb. 14 – Kimberlyn Duncan
March 27 – Kimberlyn Duncan
SEC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Jan. 31 – Denise Hinton
March 20 – Samia Stokes
SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week
Jan. 24 – Tori Bliss