BATON ROUGE – After arriving in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday night, the LSU track and field teams put the finishing touches on their prep for the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with training sessions on Monday and Tuesday as the four-day meet kicks off on Wednesday at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Hayward Field will play host to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001 as the event is set to begin Wednesday at 1 p.m. CDT. The national champions of the 2010 season and top four teams on the men’s and women’s sides will be crowned following Saturday’s competition.
LSU fans nationwide will have the opportunity to watch the Tigers and Lady Tigers in action as the CBS College Sports Network will air live coverage of the meet on Friday from 7-9 p.m. CDT.
CBS is also scheduled to broadcast live coverage of Saturday’s competition at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships from 12-2 p.m.
Live results from the semifinal and final rounds of the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be provided by Flash Results and can be found online at www.flashresults.com. Fans can also receive behind-the-scenes coverage of the Tigers and Lady Tigers by following @LSUTrackField on Twitter and by becoming a fan of the official LSU Track & Field page on Facebook.
LSU is in a familiar position again this week as a national championship contender on both the men’s and women’s sides as the Lady Tigers are ranked No. 3 and the Tigers are ranked No. 4 nationally in the latest power ranking released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers are among the national championship contenders once again after finishing in fifth place and sixth place, respectively, in the team standings a year ago in Fayetteville, Ark.
“Both of our teams have worked very hard this season to put themselves in a position to compete for team titles this week at the NCAA Championships. Our athletes are prepared to compete at the highest level,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “This is always a very competitive meet on both sides, and I will bet that the championship will be in doubt all the way to the (4×400) relays on Saturday.”
LSU has established itself as the most dominant combined track and field program in the country winning 18 NCAA Outdoor Championships all-time between the men’s and women’s teams. The Tigers and Lady Tigers own a total of 31 NCAA team titles all-time between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The Lady Tigers are looking to win their second NCAA Outdoor crown in three seasons after winning the last title in 2008. The Tigers are in search of their first outdoor national championship since 2002.
While it has been eight seasons since the Tigers have been crowned the NCAA Outdoor Champions, they own an impressive streak of 10-straight seasons with a top-five finish at the NCAA Outdoor meet. Florida State and Texas A&M own the nation’s second-longest streak of top-five finishes outdoors at two. LSU’s streak includes runner-up finishes in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and third-place finishes in 2004 and 2005.
While the Tigers have proven to be the most consistent men’s team in the nation over the past decade, the Lady Tigers have finished outside the top seven in the team standings only once in the past 11 seasons.
LSU will have 32 scoring opportunities between the two teams at the national meet this week, including a total of 17 chances to score for the women and 15 chances to score for the men.
The semifinal round of the NCAA Championships will include the top 24 finishers in each event from the NCAA Preliminary Rounds held May 27-29. That includes the top 12 finishers at the East site held in Greensboro, N.C., and the top 12 finishers at the West site held in Austin, Texas.
LSU was among the most successful programs in qualifying during the NCAA Preliminary Rounds on the men’s and women’s sides as the Lady Tigers tied for the second-most qualifiers with 17 and the Tigers finished with the third-most qualifiers with 15 into the national semifinals being held this week.
A deeper look inside the numbers shows that the Lady Tigers actually advanced the highest percentage of athletes into the national semifinals among the squad competing at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.
The Lady Tigers advanced 17 of 25 preliminary round qualifiers to Eugene to the tune of 68 percent. That numbers exceeds the 67 percent qualification of both No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 2 Oregon.
“We’re in a unique situation this week in that we are already into the semifinal rounds,” Shaver said. “We must be ready to match or beat our seasonal best performances when we step onto the track or the runway or the circle the very first time to make it to the next round. It will be cut from 24 athletes to eight or nine, depending on the event, after the prelims. We need to have that sense of urgency.”
LSU has experience on its side this week at the NCAA Outdoor Championships as 11 athletes return after earning All-America honors in the event a season ago in Fayetteville, Ark.
NCAA Indoor champion Walter Henning will look to add an NCAA Outdoor title to his resume as he is a national title contender in the men’s hammer throw. After winning the NCAA Indoor crown in the weight throw earlier this season, Henning enters the outdoor finale as the nation’s second-ranked performer in the hammer throw with a top mark this season of 239 feet, 5 inches.
The two-time defending SEC Indoor and SEC Outdoor champion has been dominant all season long as he has won 11 of 12 competitions this season in the weight throw and hammer throw. Henning finished as the NCAA runner-up in the hammer throw during his sophomore season in 2009.
Other returning All-Americans include Ade Alleyne-Forte (4×400 relay), Will Coppage (4×100 relay), Armanti Hayes (4×400 relay), Richard Jones (800 meters, 4×400 relay) and Barrett Nugent (4×100 relay).
The Lady Tigers will be led this week by a pair of senior greats as Samantha Henry and LaTavia Thomas are set to make their final appearance in an LSU uniform at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Henry has earned 12 All-America selections during her collegiate career, including a trio of honors a year ago in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×400-meter relay. Thomas has received 10 All-America selections of her own during her prolific career, including an NCAA runner-up finish in the 4×400-meter relay and a third-place finish in the 800-meter run during the 2009 season.
Other outdoor All-Americans returning to compete for the Lady Tigers include senior Kayann Thompson (4×400 relay), junior Brittani Carter (high jump) and junior Kenyanna Wilson (100 meters).
LSU looks to cap another successful campaign with its appearance at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week. The Lady Tigers followed a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships by winning their third SEC Outdoor crown in four seasons. The Tigers were also a success with a fourth place at the NCAA Indoor meet and a runner-up finish at the SEC Outdoor meet.
LSU Entries into the NCAA Championships Semifinals in Eugene, Ore.
Note: All times/marks are seasonal bests achieved during the 2010 outdoor season
Tigers
Name, Event, Time/Mark
Will Coppage, Long Jump, 26-3 ¾w
Josh Dominguez, Pole Vault, 17-8 ½
Damar Forbes, Long Jump, 26-0 ¼
Damar Forbes, Triple Jump, 52-0
Armanti Hayes, 400 meters, 45.65
Jerel Hill, 100 meters, 10.22
Walter Henning, Hammer Throw, 239-5
Richard Jones, 800 meters, 1:46.42
Michael Lauro, Hammer Throw, 217-8
Barrett Nugent, 110 hurdles, 13.56
Zedric Thomas, Long Jump, 25-8 ¾
Zedric Thomas, Triple Jump, 52-6 ½
Sadiki White, 800 meters, 1:47.57
Nugent, Coppage, Hayes, Mvumvure; 4×100 Relay; 39.00
Simmons, Williams, Alleyne-Forte, Hayes; 4×400 Relay; 3:04.10
Lady Tigers
Name, Event, Time/Mark
Brittani Carter, High Jump, 6-0 ½
Kimberlyn Duncan, 200 meters, 22.96w
Samantha Henry, 100 meters, 11.18
Samantha Henry, 200 meters, 22.94w
Rachel Laurent, Pole Vault, 13-11 ¼
Charlene Lipsey, 800 meters, 2:05.34
Melissa Ogbourne, Triple Jump, 43-7 ¾w
Takeia Pinckney, 100 meters, 11.26
Takeia Pinckney, 200 meters, 23.32
Samia Stokes, Discus Throw, 177-11
Cassandra Tate, 400 hurdles, 56.87
LaTavia Thomas, 800 meters, 2:01.40
Kayann Thompson, 800 meters, 2:03.54
Kim Williams, Hammer Throw, 195-9
Kenyanna Wilson, 100 meters, 11.22
Henry, Duncan, Pinckney, Wilson; 4×100 Relay; 43.25
McDermott, Tate, Thompson, Thomas; 4×400 Relay; 3:31.01