The LSU track and field team will begin its quest for the 2014 Southeastern Conference indoor championships today at Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas.
After watching his track and field team practice without an indoor track available and battle unusual weather conditions, LSU coach Dennis Shaver greatly anticipates watching his team line up against SEC rivals to claim the conference’s best.
“The only cause for concern is repetition,” Shaver said. “They are really going to have to hit it on the first opportunity because if you don’t hit it the first time, there will be no other opportunities at this meet.”
The LSU men rank No. 16 in the nation, according to U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Five other SEC male teams rank above them: No. 1 Arkansas, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 11 Mississippi State and No. 12 Alabama.
For one LSU transfer, this meet will mark his first SEC Indoor Championship.
Junior Vernon Norwood credits this competition as part of the reason he decided to attend LSU.
“I’m just ready to compete this weekend,” Norwood said. “Sometimes I just lose sleep thinking about it.”
Since debuting only three weeks ago at the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational, he has ascended in the rankings to become the nation’s fourth-ranked 400-meter sprinter.
Norwood has also contributed to the NCAA’s No.2 4X400 relay team. Fellow junior Quincy Downing and sophomores Darrell Bush and Cyril Grayson make up the rest of the squad.
Downing echoed Norwood’s statements and eagerly awaits the opportunity.
“I’ve run in the best meets possible, and I believe that I am physically and mentally prepared to compete at a high level this week,” Downing said. “When the time comes, you got to put up or shut up.”
As the men prepare for their biggest meet of the year, the LSU women maintain intense focus on the task at hand.
At No. 14, the LSU women also have five SEC teams placed above them nationally: No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 6 Kentucky and No. 7 Georgia.
Senior thrower Denise Hinton has been pleased with her team’s progress and said the team is prepared to prove itself not only to the SEC, but the entire nation.
“The SEC is obviously the best conference in the NCAA,” Hinton said. “We go from meet to meet and travel around the country, but there is nothing more intense than the SEC Championship.”
For Hinton and fellow senior Jasmin Stowers, this season has been different after embracing their responsibilities as seniors. Coach Dennis Shaver still recalls younger days when they were hesitant to lead.
“It’s been really awesome to see because those two in the past really needed to step forward to take on that leadership role,” Shaver said. “[Hinton and Stowers] have done a great job stepping forward, and I can see that the kids really react to them.”
“I try to talk with the throwers everyday and be a close group,” Hinton said. “Jasmin is one of the most humble and accomplished athletes we have on the team, and I still learn from her.”
“The SEC is obviously the best conference in the NCAA”