Baton Rouge, La. – Head coach Dennis Shaver announced that Mercy Abire, a transfer from Oral Roberts, will be joining the LSU track and field program for the 2019 season.
Abire, who has competed for two years at Oral Roberts, will have two years of eligibility left when she arrives in Baton Rouge. A skilled long and triple jumper, Abire earned second team All-America honors this year at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the long jump. She leaped out to a bound of 6.27 meters (20-7) on her first attempt at the national meet to finish in 13th place.
A native of Delta, Nigeria, Abire leaves Oral Roberts as the school record holder in the long jump with a career-best leap of 6.33 meters (20-9.25). She won three conference titles at the 2018 Summit League Championships in the long jump (6.50mw/21-4.00), triple jump (13.10 meters/42-11.75) and as a member of the 4×100 meter relay (45.48) to help the Golden Eagles finish third as a team with 116 points.