Baton Rouge, La. – One last tune up for the nationally ranked LSU track and field squad (No. 3 women and No. 5 men) – that’s what the LSU Twilight will serve as for the Tigers on Friday at Carl Maddox Field House. This will be the last meet of the indoor regular season meet before the Tigers head to the SEC Championships (Feb. 22-23) and NCAA Championships (March 8-9).
LSU Twilight (Feb. 15) | Meet Schedule | Live Results | Heat Sheets | Competition Guide
Forty-eight athletes will suit up in the Purple and Gold at the final home indoor meet of the season. Things will get started at noon with Jake Norris in the weight throw. The competition guide linked above gives you the full breakdown of when each of the 48 athletes are expected to compete. The athletes that are highlighted in yellow own top-10 NCAA marks in their respective events.
Mondo Duplantis (NCAA No. 1/pole vault/4:45 p.m.), Lisa Gunnarsson (NCAA No. 2/pole vault/2:30 p.m.), Kortnei Johnson (NCAA No. 2/60m dash/4:05 p.m.), Sha’Carri Richardson (NCAA No. 4/60m dash/4:05 p.m.), Tonea Marshall (NCAA No. 4/60m hurdles/3:30 p.m.), and Damion Thomas (NCAA No. 6/60m hurdles (3:20 p.m.) are the six athletes competing that are currently ranked inside the top 10 in the NCAA in their respective events.
LSU will be welcoming a host of schools to the meet that includes Hinds Community College, McNeese State, Meridian Community College, Mississippi College, Mobile, New Orleans, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Southeastern, Tulane, William Carey and Xavier.
Top 10 Marks in LSU History | 2019 Performance List
Two school records and 11 additional top-10 marks in school history have been registered in 2019. Mondo Duplantis (5.87m/19′ 3”) and Lisa Gunnarsson (4.51m/14′ 9.50”) are both the school record holders in the pole vault. Duplantis set his mark at the last home meet, the Bayou Bengal, on Feb. 1, and Gunnarsson’s mark came at the Razorback Invitational in late January. Julia Palin, Tonea Marshall and Kortnei Johnson added top-10 marks to the list last weekend. Palin, a freshman from Norton, Mass., already owned the seventh-best 3,000 meter run heading into last weekend, but she outdid herself and registered the No. 2 time in school history in the 5,000 meter run. Making her collegiate debut in the 5,000 meters, Palin clocked a time of 16:38.80 at the Iowa State Classic. Johnson continued her excellent senior season with a career-best mark of 7.17 in the 60 meter dash on her way to winning the gold medal at the Tyson Invitational; the mark of 7.17 moved her into sole possession of sixth place in the record book, one hundredth of a second ahead of where she previously was. Marshall did not set a personal best, but she sure did match with a clocking of 8.04 seconds; that mark is tied for the seventh fastest in school history. Full list is below:
Mondo Duplantis – No. 1 – Pole Vault – 5.87m (19′ 3”)
JuVaughn Harrison – No. 2 – High Jump – 2.27m (7′ 5.25”)
Damion Thomas – No. 3 – 60m Hurdles – 7.66*
Rayvon Grey – No. 6 – Long Jump – 8.06m (26′ 5.50”)
Arthur Price – No. 10 – 60m Hurdles – 7.88*
Lisa Gunnarsson – No. 1 – Pole Vault – 4.51m (14′ 9.50”)
Julia Palin – No. 2 – 5,000 Meter Run – 16:38.80
Amy Stelly – No. 4 – Pole Vault – 3.81m (12′ 6”)
Kortnei Johnson – No. 6 – 60m Dash – 7.17
Tonea Marshall – No. 7 – 60m Hurdles – 8.04
Julia Palin – No. 7 – 3,000 Meter Run – 9:54.04
Sha’Carri Richardson – No. 9 – 60m Dash – 7.20
Ersula Farrow – No. 10 – 800 Meter Run – 2:05.45
*Ran at altitude
NCAA Qualifiers
LSU currently has 11 individual athletes that own top-16 times in the NCAA season. The No. 16 is so important because each athlete that ranks in the top 16 of his/her event earns a bid to the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. JuVaughn Harrison owns nationally qualifying marks in the long jump (NCAA No. 9) and high jump (NCAA No. 2), and on the women’s side, Kortnei Johnson and Sha’Carri Richardson are currently ranked inside the top 10 in both the 60 and 200 meter dash on the national level. On the relay side of things, the men’s 4×400 meter relay of Correion Mosby, Jaron Flournoy, Christian Boyd and Tyler Terry clocked the eighth-fastest time in the nation, a 3:06.34, at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 26. The women’s 4×400 meter relay of Rachel Misher, Milan Young, Brittley Humphrey and Kiya Oviosun clocked a season best of 3:35.50 last weekend at the Tyson Invitational, and that ranks 13th nationally, which is good enough for a qualifying bid.
Other National Marks
Mondo Duplantis – NCAA No. 1 – Pole Vault – 5.83m (19′ 1.50”)
Rayvon Grey – NCAA No. 1 – Long Jump – 8.06m (26′ 5.50”)
Lisa Gunnarsson – NCAA No. 2 – Pole Vault – 4.51m (14′ 9.50”)
Tonea Marshall – NCAA No. 4 – 60m Dash – 8.04
Damion Thomas – NCAA No. 6 – 60m Hurdles – 7.68
Jaron Flournoy – NCAA No. 6 – 200m Dash – 20.69
Ersula Farrow – NCAA No. 8 – 800m Run – 2:05.45
Abby O’Donoghue – NCAA No. 12 – High Jump – 1.80m (5′ 10.75”)
Rankings | USTFCCCA Women’s Rankings | USTFCCCA Men’s Rankings | FloTrack Rankings
The women’s team checks in at No. 3 in the USTFCCCA rankings; that’s the highest indoor ranking for the women since the 2013 season. The men are holding strong in the No. 5 spot in the USTFCCCA rankings. Being ranked No. 3 and No. 5 in the USTFCCCA rankings, LSU is the only school in America to be ranked top five in both. FloTrack has the men ranked fourth and the women eighth.
How to Follow
Fans can follow @LSUTrackField on Twitter for the most up to date happenings at meets. Fans can also follow LSU track and field on Instagram (LSUTrackField) and Facebook (LSU Track & Field).