SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two events, two All-America honors. That’s how freshman sprinter Kelly Baptiste capped the third day of competition for the LSU track and field team Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Beginning the day with an exceptional anchor leg on the Lady Tigers’ 4×100-meter relay, Baptiste guided the freshmen foursome that included Ashley Owens, Deonna Lawrence and Jessica Ohanaja to a fourth-place finish and a season-best effort of 43.67.
“I told them yesterday after we watched the exchanges that they could run 43.60, but it was up to them,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “I told them they needed to come together and bond to get it done, and today they did. That’s why I am so thrilled with the fact that they were successful.”
Following the outstanding relay effort Baptiste returned tm the track and garnered her second All-America accolade of the day, finishing fourth in the 100 meters. The Tobago native clocked a speedy 11.37 despite running out of lane nine.
“I felt like if I would have been in an inside lane I could have done better,” said Baptiste. “When you are on the outside you don’t know what’s happening or who’s passing you, you just have to go off your judgment. I just tried to get a good start and use my finishing speed as my advantage.”
“What I am most proud of is that she ran a great anchor leg and then turned around, after two frustrating days of sprinting, and was able to get it together,” said Shaver. “It was by far her best race at this track meet.”
Also earning All-America accolades on the evening was the men’s 4×100 squad of Richard Thompson, Xavier Carter, Kelly Willie and Bennie Brazell. The foursome posted the eighth-fastest time in school history, 38.86, in finishing fourth overall.
With individual races still to go, Brazell and Willie continued to breeze through qualifying round competition.
Brazell posted a lightning 48.33 in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles to win his heat and advance to tomorrow’s final.
Willie moved on in the 400 meters, clocking 45.12 to finish second in his semifinal heat.
Action from the NCAA Championships concludes tomorrow evening with the crowning of both the men’s and women’s team champions.