LSU Gold
Position
Distance
Height
5'5
Class
Senior
Hometown
Lake Charles, La.
High School
St. Louis HS

Events: 800M (2:11.08), 1,500M (4:19.99), Mile (4:43.12), 3,000M (9:21.92), 5,000M (IN: 16:11.58; OUT: 15:44.41), 10,000M (34:01.65)

SEC Champion
All-SEC
2013 CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American
2013 CoSIDA Academic All-District VI First Team
2012 CoSIDA Academic All-District VI First Team
2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District VI First Team

CAREER CAPSULE
Graduated from LSU with her degree in business administration in May 2011 and master of business administration in May 2013 … Received the University Medal during commencement ceremonies in May 2011 for maintaining the highest grade-point average of her graduating class with a perfect 4.0 … The most accomplished distance runner in the history of the Lady Tiger program … Made history during the 2013 indoor season as the first Lady Tiger to be crowned an SEC Champion in a distance over a mile with her win in the 5,000 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships … Lined up in the NCAA finals in the 5,000 meters for the first time in her career at the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finishing in 21st place for her highest national finish … Was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier as a Lady Tiger, including the 1,500 meters in 2011 and 5,000 meters in 2012 and 2013 … Scored a total of 31.25 points for the Lady Tigers in her career at the SEC Championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons … Earned career-best finishes of fourth place at the SEC Outdoor Championships in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters during her senior season in 2013 … Also earned career-best finishes of sixth place in the mile and eighth place in the 3,000 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships and sixth place in the 1,500 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships during her tenure with the Lady Tigers … Ended her collegiate career as LSU’s school-record holder in the 5,000 meters both indoors (16:11.58) and outdoors (15:44.41) and 10,000 meters outdoors (34:01.65) … Also a member of LSU’s school-record-setting distance medley relay team indoors with a time of 11:18.75 set in 2012 … A standout in the classroom who was named a First-Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America following her senior year in 2013 … Was also a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VI First Team selection from 2011-13 … Captured four selections to the SEC Academic Honor Roll from 2010-13 and a selection to the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll in 2009.

2013
Enjoyed the most prolific season by a distance runner in the history of the Lady Tiger program as a senior in 2013 … Made history as the first Lady Tiger in program history to be crowned the SEC champion in a distance over a mile with her win in the 5,000 meters at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships held in Fayetteville, Ark. … Raced to a winning time of 16 minutes, 18.20 seconds to win the SEC Indoor title in the 5,000 meters … Scored a total of 12 points for the Lady Tigers as one of the team’s leading scorers at the SEC Indoor Championships as she also took seventh place in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:22.04 in the final … Won the 5,000 meters at the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York with an indoor school record of 16:11.58 … Ran the second-fastest 3,000 meters indoors in team history with a seasonal-best and personal-best time of 9:21.92 in a fourth-place finish at the Razorback Invitational … Finished runner-up in the invitational 3k at the Tyson Invitational with a time of 9:29.13 … Opened the season by running the mile at the Texas A&M Triangular, finishing in fourth place overall with a seasonal best of 4:49.50 … Emerged as one of the NCAA’s premier distance runners during the 2013 outdoor season while lining up in the NCAA final in the 5,000 meters for the first time in her collegiate career … Finished in 21st place with a time of 16:36.25 in her final race as a Lady Tiger while running the 5k at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Eugene, Ore. … Shattered LSU’s school record in the 5,000 meters with a career-best run of 15:44.41 for 13th place at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif. … Ended her senior season as the NCAA’s No. 9-ranked runner in the 5,000 meters with her school record of 15:44.41 … Advanced to the national final in the 5k for the first time in her career with an eighth-place finish overall at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds held in Greensboro, N.C. … Raced to a qualifying time of 16:12.09 in the semifinal round at the NCAA East Prelims … Scored 10 points for the Lady Tigers with a pair of fourth places in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Smashed LSU’s school record with a time of 34:01.65 in her first ever 10,000-meter race at the SEC Outdoor Championship held in Columbia, Mo. … Added a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the SEC Outdoor meet with an effort of 16:14.65 in the conference final … Won a pair of 3,000-meter titles during the outdoor season at UCLA’s Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational (9:22.69) and LSU’s Battle on the Bayou (9:44.09) … Won the 800 meters at the LSU Relays (2:11.08) and the 1,500 meters at the Battle on the Bayou (4:19.99) with a pair of personal bests … PR of 4:19.99 in the 1,500 meters ranked No. 4 on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the event … Anchored the Lady Tigers to a successful defense of their crown in the distance medley relay while running the mile leg in the university final at the Texas Relays … Anchored the team to victory with a winning 11:23.55 for the fifth-fastest time in school history … Ran the 1,200-meter leadoff leg for the Lady Tigers in an eighth-place finish in the DMR at the Penn Relays while running the fourth-fastest time in school history at 11:22.71 … Honored for her academic performance as a First-Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America following the 2013 season … Also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VI First Team for the third-straight year … Honored as a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the fourth year in a row … Also picked up a selection as an all-academic performer by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the second-straight year … Graduated from LSU in May 2013 with a master of business administration.

2012
Continued her development as one of the leading distance runners in the Southeastern Conference during the 2012 season … Missed qualifying for the NCAA semifinals in the 5,000-meter run by one spot after finishing in 13th place in the event at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Jacksonville, Fla. … Clocked a time of 16:38.29 in her second career appearance at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds … Finished in 15th place in the event at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships held on LSU’s home track at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge … Scored one point with eighth-place finishes in both the 1,500 meters outdoors and 3,000 meters indoors at the SEC Championships … Clocked a personal record of 4:22.31 for eighth place in the 1,500 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Crossed the finish line in 9:34.16 for eighth place in the 3,000 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships … Posted the second-fastest time in school history with a PR of 9:29.44 for third place in the 3,000 meters at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational during the indoor season … Won the 3,000 meters in her season opener at the Crimson Tide Indoor Opener with a time of 9:37.80 … Raced to an indoor personal best of 4:43.12 in a fourth-place finish in the invitational mile at the Razorback Invitational … Captured a pair of 3k titles during the outdoor season at the Arizona State Tri-Meet (9:37.17) and Battle on the Bayou (10:00.29) … Earned a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the Penn Relays with a lifetime PR of 16:28.08 … Opened the outdoor season by taking second place in the 1,500 meters at the LSU Relays with a run of 4:22.75 … Wrapped up her junior season ranked No. 3 in the 5,000 meters, No. 4 in the 3,000 meters and No. 6 in the 1,500 meters on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list … Also finished the campaign ranked No. 2 in the 3,000 meters and No. 5 in the mile on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list … Added to her impressive academic resume as a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the third time in her collegiate career … Was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-District VI First Team selection for the second year in a row … Added an all-academic selection by the USTFCCCA following the season … Presented the Bengal Belles Academic Excellence Award during the 2012 Tiger Athletic Foundation Academic Excellence Gala.

2011
Set new personal records in three events during her redshirt sophomore season … Lowered PRs by nearly eight seconds in the mile, 17 seconds in the 1,500 meters and 25 seconds in the 5,000 meters over the course of the 2011 season … Clocked a career-best time of 4:23.21 for the third-fastest performance in the qualifying round of the 1,500 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships to earn a spot in the conference final … Was the No. 5-ranked time on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the event … Went on to score three points for the Lady Tigers with a sixth-place finish in the 1,500-meter final at the SEC Outdoor meet with a time of 4:32.18 … Also competed in the 5,000 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships, finishing in 12th place with a time of 16:59.47 … Clocked a personal best of 16:41.09 in a sixth-place finish in the Olympic Development final at the Penn Relays … Was the No. 3-ranked time on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the 5,000  meters … Swept event titles in each event at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational, winning the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:31.47 and 5,000 meters with a time of 17:05.59 … Also won the 1,500 meters at the LSU Alumni Gold (4:30.91) … Wrapped up the 2011 outdoor season by competing in both the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Bloomington, Ind. … Advanced to the national quarterfinal of the 1,500 meters after clocked 4:23.93 in the first round of qualifying … Finished in 20th place in the NCAA quarterfinal after running 4:32.42 … Placed 22nd in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA East Prelims (16:46.08) … Ran the leadoff leg on LSU’s 4×800 relay that captured the Texas Relays title in 8:39.19 … Anchored LSU’s distance medley relay team to a runner-up finish at the Texas Relays with the fifth-fastest time in school history at 11:34.29 … Also anchored the distance medley relay to a 10th-place finish at the Penn Relays with the second-fastest time in school history at 11:20.15 … Competed in the mile during the 2011 indoor season … Set a PR of 4:51.94 in a sixth-place finish in the conference final at the SEC Indoor Championships … Clocked 4:55.42 in the prelim round at the SEC Indoor meet … Ran the mile leg as the anchor of LSU’s distance medley relay team that earned a fourth-place finish at the SEC Indoor Championships with a time of 11:41.67 … Scored a total of 7.25 points at the SEC Championships to help the Lady Tigers sweep SEC Indoor and SEC Outdoor team titles for the first time since the 2008 season … Voted a College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District VI First Team selection while maintaining a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average for her collegiate career … Also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the second time in her career … Completed her degree requirements in just three years … A recipient of the University Medal during commencement exercises in May 2011 after posting the top cumulative grade-point average of her graduating class.

2010
Competed in three meets indoors for the Lady Tigers in 2010 … Broke five minutes in the mile at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York as she finished in seventh place in the event with a seasonal-best time of 4:59.71 … Won the mile at the New Mexico Invitational with an altitude-adjusted time of 5:01.07 … Opened the season by winning the 3,000-meter run at the Purple Tiger Invitational after setting a time of 10:23.72 … Received a redshirt during the outdoor season … Was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll following the season for her outstanding performance in the classroom.

2009
Competed in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters during the 2009 outdoor season … Ran the leadoff leg on the Lady Tigers’ 4×800-meter relay team that won its second-straight title at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays … Combined with Kayann Thompson, Brittany Hall and LaTavia Thomas to run a time of 8:46.23 … Finished her freshman campaign with seasonal bests of 2:14.71 in the 800 meters and 4:40.04 in the 1,500 meters … Lined up in both events at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Finished in 17th place in the 800 meters (2:14.71) and 20th place in the 1,500 meters (4:48.89) at the conference meet … Was the third-place finisher in both events in her collegiate debut at the Louisiana Classics … Did not compete indoors for the Lady Tigers in 2009 … Honored as a member of the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll and recipient of the LSU Scholar-Athlete Director’s Cup in 2009.

PRIOR TO LSU
One of the top distance runners in the state of Louisiana for the Class of 2008 … Won state titles in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters during her senior season … Finished runner-up in the 800 meters at the state meet in 2007 and 2008 … Was an all-state performer in cross country in 2007 … Also the district and regional MVP in cross country in 2008 … Finished her high school career with personal bests of 2:15 in the 800 meters, 5:10 in the mile, 11:45 in the 3,200 meters and 18:58 in the three mile.

PERSONAL
Full name is Laura Catherine Carleton … Born on Sept. 23, 1989 … Parents are Mike and Jackie Carleton … Has two younger sister, Rebecca and Ellen … Parents are graduates of LSU … Graduated from St. Louis High School with honors as she was ranked third in her class … Graduated from LSU with her degree in business administration … Now pursuing a master of business administration while continuing an outstanding running career at LSU.

 

Full Bio