WALNUT, Calif. — Solid open quarter and 4×400-meter relay performances highlighted LSU’s final day of competition at the Mt. SAC Relays, Saturday, from Hilmer Lodge Stadium.
“It was a good day, but not a great day,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “I do feel we had some great individual performances and coupled with yesterday’s competition I think like we got in a good work week.”
LSU was dominant in the 400 meter Invitational races. Junior Hazelann Regis, the women’s NCAA leader in the event, won the meet title with her second-best time of the season (51.68), while freshman Kelly Willie was just nipped at the finish line in the men’s race by Nike’s Corey Nelson to earn runner-up honors. In is first open quarter of the outdoor season, Willie made his way in to the LSU record books, posting the sixth-best time in school history, 45.62.
Regis later combined with junior Neisha Bernard-Thomas, Monique Hall and Nadia Davy to easily win the 4×400-meter relay title, clocking the third-best time in school history and the Lady Tigers’ top time this season, 3:29.39.
The 800 meters saw both the Tigers and Lady Tigers register some of the fastest times of the season. Bernard-Thomas clocked the seventh fastest time in LSU school history and a PR mark, finishing seventh in the Invitational division with a time of 2:04.82.
For the Tigers, Tomario Thomas and Jeffrey Fisher turned in LSU’s top two times in the event to date, posting marks of 1:50.93 and 1:51.09, respectively.
In the short sprints, Muna Lee’s two-meet winning streak in the 100 meters was broken as she was edged by professional runner Kelli White (10.97), while posting her second-best mark of the season, 11.04.
Robert Parham had a solid showing for the Tigers in the 200 meters, clocking 21.20 to place sixth in the University division and qualify for the NCAA Regional meet.
Althea Thomas began the day for the Lady Tigers with an outstanding performance in the 400-meter hurdles. Thomas clocked a PR mark and the sixth best time in school history (58.30), to place third in the University section.
A day after running a season-best 50.53 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, All-American Bennie Brazell returned to action in the event against some of the nation’s best competition. The only collegian in the men’s invitational 400-meter hurdles, Brazell finished seventh with a time of 51.83.
In the field events both John Moffitt and Mallory McDonald posted their second-best marks of the season in their respective events. Moffitt finished sixth in the Invitational triple jump with a leap of 53-1 3/4, while McDonald launched the hammer 195-9.
The LSU track and field team will return to action next weekend when it travels to Philadelphia, Pa., for the prestigious Penn Relays, April 24-26.