BATON ROUGE — Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers track and field teams are ranked among the top six in the nation in both the Trackwire 25 and Coaches’ Polls released Tuesday.
The Tigers slipped one spot to No. 4 in the Trackwire 25, while opening the outdoor season at No. 3 in the Coaches’ Poll.
The Lady Tigers improved three spots to No. 6 in the Trackwire 25 and are also listed at No. 6 in the first outdoor Coaches’ Poll of the season.
In both men’s polls Florida State and Arkansas hold down the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, respectively. The pair is followed by LSU, Texas and UTEP in the Coaches’ Poll and Texas, LSU and UTEP in the Trackwire 25.
Both polls also agree on the top-two women’s teams in the country as each lists Texas at No. 1 and USC at No. 2. The Trackwire 25 rounds out the top six with Miami, Nebraska, Arizona State and LSU, while the Coaches’ Poll lists Nebraska, Miami, Arizona State and LSU after the Longhorns and Trojans.
LSU also has four relay teams and 14 individuals ranked among the nation’s top 12 in their respective events.
On the men’s side, sophomore Xavier Carter and senior Kelly Willie are ranked No. 1 in the country in the 200 meters and the 400 meters, respectively, for a second straight week.
Both Carter and Willie also run legs on the Tigers’ 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay teams that are also ranked No. 1.
Joining Willie in the 400 meter ranks are sophomore Reggie Dardar and junior Melville Rogers in 10th and 11th, respectively.
In addition, the Tigers have three athletes listed among the decathlon standings. Junior Alleyne Lett leads the pack in fifth, while seniors Darion Powell and Edwin Billot follow in sixth and ninth.
For the women, sophomores Kelly Baptiste and Brooklynn Morris are each ranked in the short sprints. Baptiste is listed at No. 2 in the 100 meters and No. 7 in the 200 meters, while Morris is fifth in the 200 and ninth in the 100.
Sophomores Deonna Lawrence (6th, 400 meters) and Jessica Ohanaja (7th, 100 hurdles) as well as junior Tanya Osbourne (11th, 800 meters) are also ranked for the Lady Tigers on the track, while sophomore Kathy Coleman (10th, long jump) and senior Megan Akre (11th, heptathlon) represent LSU in the field.
In addition, both the Lady Tigers’ 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams are listed at No. 2 in the country.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers return to action this Saturday at the Miami Elite Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla.
TRACKWIRE 25
Men
1. Florida State, 60; 2. Arkansas, 49; 3. Texas, 48; 4. LSU, 47; 5. UTEP, 46; 6. Arizona, 42; t7. Oregon, 28; t7. Texas Tech, 28; 9. Virginia Tech, 25; t10. Florida, 23; t10. BYU, 23; 12. North Carolina, 22; 13. Tennessee, 20; 14. Nebraska, 19; t15. TCU, 18; t15. Texas A&M, 18; 17. USC, 14; t18. Baylor, 13; t18. Kansas, 13; t18. South Carolina, 13; 21. Wisconsin, 12; t22. UCLA, 10; t22. Jackson State, 10; t22. George Mason, 10; t22. Northeastern, 10.
Women
1. Texas, 65; 2. USC, 45; 3. Miami, 41; 4. Nebraska, 40; 5. Arizona State, 36; 6. LSU, 35; 7. Georgia, 32; 8. North Carolina, 31; 9. Auburn, 29; 10. UCLA, 24; 11. Stanford, 23; 12. South Carolina, 22; 13. Oregon, 19; 14. Texas A&M, 17; t15. Florida State, 16; t15. Michigan, 16; 17. Alabama, 15; 18. Tennessee, 14; t19. Iowa, 11; t19. Providence, 11; t19. Maryland, 11; t19. Northern Arizona, 11; t23. Air Force, 10; t23. Illinois, 10; t25. Penn State, 9; t25. NC State, 9; t25. Southern Illinois, 9; t25. UTEP, 9.
COACHES’ POLL
Men
1. Florida State; 2. Arkansas; 3. LSU; 4. Texas; 5. UTEP; 6. Arizona; 7. Oregon; 8. Tennessee; 9. Florida; 10. Virginia Tech; 11. Texas Tech; 12. BYU; 13. North Carolina; 14. Nebraska; 15. Southern California; 16. Baylor; 17. Wisconsin; 18. Texas A&M; 19. Kansas; 20. South Carolina
Women
1. Texas; 2. Southern California; 3. Nebraska; 4. Miami (FL); 5. Arizona State; 6. LSU; 7. UCLA; 8. Georgia; 9. North Carolina; 10. Stanford; 11. South Carolina; 12. Auburn; 13. Oregon; 14. Florida State; 15. Michigan; 16. Tennessee; 17. Texas A&M; 18. Alabama; 19. Northern Arizona; 20. Maryland