LEXINGTON, Ky. – The LSU track and field men’s team finished their second and final day of action at the NCAA East First Round, hosted by Kentucky at the UK Track & Field Complex.
The four-time NJCAA high-jump National Champion, Kuda Chadenga, is heading to his first NCAA Championship as a Tiger. Chadenga maintained a relatively clean competition as he finished with a clearance of 2.17 meters (7’ 1.5”) to win his flight and finish third overall. The Zimbabwean was one of only three athletes to have one miss or less on the day.
Unsurprisingly, the reigning men’s 4×100-meter relay NCAA champions are heading to Eugene after winning their heat. The team consisting of Myles Thomas, Da’Marcus Fleming, Jaiden Reid and Godson Oghenebrume had some struggles at the start, but Oghenebrume put on a master-class anchor to show the Kentucky crowd why he’s the best in the nation. LSU’s team put up a time of 39.19 seconds, finishing seventh overall in the quarterfinal heats.
Later on in the day, Oghenebrume and Fleming punched their tickets to Eugene once again in the men’s 100 meter. Oghenebrume cruised to a time of 10.04 seconds (+0.7 m/s) to finish second in his heat after taking a demanding lead and slowing down at the end once he knew he was in. Fleming finished fifth in the second heat of the day with a time of 10.12 seconds (+1.4 m/s), and was able to advance to Eugene by time taking the 12th and final spot.
The men’s 110-meter hurdle squad got the job done on Friday as both Matthew Sophia and Jahiem Stern punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The sophomore duo finished first and second in their heat with Sophia clocking 13.40 seconds (+1.3 m/s) and Stern running 13.41 seconds. The two Tigers finished the day third and fourth overall in the event.
Sean “Squirrel” Burrell is heading back to the championship in the 400-meter hurdles after earning a big Q with a second-place finish in heat two. Burrell ended his race with a season-best time of 49.44 seconds finishing sixth overall in the quarterfinal heats. This will be his sixth and final national-championship appearance with the Tigers.
One of the newest additions to the LSU roster, Dillon Bedell, punched his first-career ticket as an individual on Friday in the 400 meter. The senior from Dallas, Texas, clocked a time of 45.81 seconds to earn the last spot for qualifying and finished fifth overall in his heat.
The day closed in exciting fashion with the always anticipated men’s 4×400-meter relay. LSU rolled out a new lineup with the order of Salim Epps, Shakeem McKay, Sean Burrell and Dillon Bedell on Friday. Bedell and McKay powered the squad with sub-45 second splits, leading the time to a time of 3:01.74 to win their heat and punch the final ticket of the weekend for the men.
Men’s NCAA Championship Qualifiers | 12 entries, 14 student-athletes
| 100 (2) | Godson Oghenebrume, Da’Marcus Fleming |
| 400 (1) | Dillon Bedell |
| 110h (2) | Jahiem Stern, Matthew Sophia |
| 400h (1) | Sean “Squirrel” Burrell |
| 4 x 100 | Myles Thomas, Da’Marcus Fleming, Jaiden Reid, Godson Oghenebrume (Shakeem McKay) |
| 4 x 400 | Sean Burrell, Salim Epps, Shakeem McKay, Dillon Bedell (Myles Thomas) |
| HJ (1) | Kuda Chadenga |
| SP (1) | John Meyer |
| JT (2) | Will Lawrence, Tzuriel Pedigo |
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