The LSU men’s and women’s track teams swept the Battle on the Bayou meet titles, but sophomore Tori Bliss’ performance in the shot put stole the show.
Bliss broke the 19-year-old school record in the event with a throw of 55 feet and 11 inches, which is eighth on the NCAA’s 2013 performance list.
The Portage, Ind., native had a previous outdoor personal record of 51 feet and 7 inches, but a recent change in her throwing technique sparked the improvement in her mark. Five weeks ago, Bliss went from the gliding technique she’s used since her freshman year in high school to a rotational technique.
Bliss said the new technique was frustrating in the beginning, but once she got the hang of it, she gained confidence heading into this weekend.
“I had a breakthrough week at practice,” Bliss said. “I had a good feeling about this weekend. I’ve been hitting some consistent marks in practice at a distance that we wanted, but just having confidence knowing I’m getting better with all the drills and repetitions that we’re doing helped.”
Senior Kimberlyn Duncan ran the 200-meter dash in 22.82 seconds, which is the NCAA-leading time for 2013. The time is also the second-fastest in the 2013 world rankings.
In the meet, the Lady Tigers won 16 events and 14 athletes set personal records. LSU coach Dennis Shaver said the teams had great performances Saturday against teams from around the country, including Penn State, Arizona State, Mississippi State and Connecticut.
“I love these kinds of meets because the focus is more on how well you compete when you line up instead of just chasing a better time or a better mark,” Shaver said. “Overall, I feel like the team competed hard and competed for one another, and I think that’s one of the things I always hope that our team gains from this type of competition.”
“I had a breakthrough week at practice. I had a good feeling about this weekend.”
