LSU Track & Field to Face Top Talent in New York

Track & Field to Face Top Talent in New York
Updated: February 04, 2010, 10:21 a.m. (CT)
by Will Stafford, Associate Sports Information Director Comments
Heat Sheets
BATON ROUGE - A championship atmosphere awaits the LSU track and field teams this weekend as they make their annual trip to the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York to compete in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

The New Balance Collegiate Invitational is one of the premier meets of the indoor season each year as the nation's top teams collide in a field of more than 100 universities from across the country.

The two-day meet kicks off for LSU on Friday with the field events at 10 a.m. CT followed by the first events on the track at 11:55 a.m. Saturday's action gets underway in the field at 8:15 a.m. followed by the first events on the track at 9:26 a.m. at The Armory.

Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers are ranked No. 4 nationally in the latest Top 25 power ranking published by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday.

The Tigers will compete against such nationally-ranked programs as No.1 Texas A&M, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 15 Texas Tech and No. 18 South Carolina. The Lady Tigers will go up against such nationally-ranked teams as No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 3 BYU, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 10 South Carolina, No. 11 Arkansas, No. 12 Villanova, No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 23 Connecticut and No. 25 North Carolina.

"We always look forward to this meet every year because it is always an outstanding meet for our athletes to compete in a championship environment," said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. "We expect that our athletes will have a mindset to not only run fast, jump far and throw farther, but we expect them to put on that LSU uniform and compete like it is the NCAA Championships.

"That's what it means to wear the purple and gold. We expect our athletes to perform at their very best on and off the track while representing this program."

The LSU contingent will be led by a pair of athletes ranked No.1 in the NCAA this season in their events as junior Walter Henning looks to defend his meet crown in the 35-pound weight throw and fellow junior Zedric Thomas is among the favorites to win the long jump title.

Henning is the reigning Southeastern Conference Male Field Athlete of the Week following a tremendous performance at the New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque on Saturday. Henning recorded a new PR of 75 feet, 8 inches to shatter his own school record in the event and vaulting himself into the NCAA lead.

A native of nearby Kings Park, N.Y., Henning is the defending champion of the weight throw at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational after setting a new meet record of 72-8 ½ in 2009.

Thomas has emerged as one of the nation's premier jumpers with his performance this season as he ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in the long jump with a personal-best mark and NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 26-3. He also ranks No. 5 nationally in the triple jump with a PR and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 52-2 ¾ set last week at the New Mexico Invitational.

A pair of LSU athletes also enters the meet ranked No. 2 nationally in their respective events. Sophomore Barrett Nugent will compete in both the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles this weekend as he boasts an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.74 seconds in the sprint hurdles. Fellow sophomore All-American Rachel Laurent is the meet favorite in the pole vault with a top mark of 14-3 ½ this season.

In addition, junior All-American Brittani Carter is the favorite to win the high jump crown after an NCAA automatic qualifying performance of 6-0 ¾ set last weekend, which currently ranks No. 4 in the country.

As in previous years, LSU's outstanding crew of middle distance runners will open up the 2010 season at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Junior LaTavia Thomas leads the way as she will compete in the event for the first time this season. She won the 800-meter title at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational a year ago with a meet record time of 2 minutes, 4.54 seconds.

Senior Kayann Thompson, junior All-American Brittany Hall and freshman Charlene Lipsey join Thomas in the event as they form perhaps the most talented group of middle distance runners in the country.

Junior Richard Jones [Benicia, Calif. (Benicia HS/Central Arizona JC, Coolidge, AZ)] , who earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships a year ago, will lead a trio of Tigers in the event. He will be joined in the event by senior All-American Jamaal James and freshman Sadiki White.

"This is an important meet for our middle distance group because it will be the first time they have a chance to really get on the track and run against an NCAA Championships caliber field," Shaver said. "This meet always features some of the best 800-meter runners in the country, and we're anxious to see if our athletes are ready to run against the best."

In addition to those LSU athletes who will be making their season debut this weekend, many will attempt to strengthen their NCAA qualifying marks when they compete at The Armory.

For the Tigers, senior Armanti Hayes will compete in the 400 meters, sophomore Michael Lauro will step into the weight throw circle, freshman Rynell Parson will line up in the 60-meter dash and fellow freshman Damar Forbes will step onto the long jump runway at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational.

For the Lady Tigers, senior Samantha Henry will line up alongside junior Kenyanna Wilson and freshman Takeia Pinckney in both the 60 meters and 200 meters, sophomore Cassandra Tate will line up in the 200-meter dash, junior Tenaya Jones is scheduled to run the 60 hurdles, senior Katelyn Rodrigue is scheduled to compete in the pole vault, and junior Melissa Ogbourne and freshman Brittany Porter will step onto the runway in both the long jump and triple jump.

The Tigers and Lady Tigers follow their trip to New York by traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the Tyson Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center beginning Feb. 12.

Courtesy LSU