LSU sprinter Favour Ofili ran an African indoor record of 22.71 seconds on Friday night at the Albuquerque Convention Center as part of the first day of action at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
Ofili led a group of five LSU sprinters that took five of the top six spots in the 200-meter dash. Ofili’s time of 22.71 was a personal best by four-hundredths of a second with her previous indoor best of 22.75 coming at the 2021 SEC Indoor Championships. Leah Phillips followed in third with a personal best of 23.58, Tionna Beard-Brown finished fourth with a career–best time of 23.61, Amber Anning took fifth in 23.64 seconds and Garriel White placed sixth with a personal best of 23.99. Ofili’s 22.71 is the No. 3 time in the LSU record book for the 200-meter.
In the 200-meter dash, Kenroy Higgins II took third with a personal best time of 20.93 seconds. Dorian Camel (21.12) and Da’Marcus Fleming (21.21/PR) finished in fifth and sixth place. Ashton Hicks recorded a personal best of 21.23 seconds in the open portion of the 200–meter dash which earned him first place in that division.
The LSU track and field squad closed out day two of the New Mexico Collegiate Classic with five LSU top-10 marks in the record book and eight additional personal bests on Saturday. Leah Phillips (60-meter hurdles) and Alia Armstrong (60-meter dash) won event titles on the day.
For Phillips, it was her first collegiate win indoors in an event. She clocked the win with a personal best readout of 8.06 seconds. Phillips, who has shown great progression this indoor season, has lowered her personal best all the way from 8.29 seconds in the opening meet of 2022 to down to 8.06 that has totaled four personal best races for her on the season. The time of 8.06 will convert to 8.08 for NCAA ranking purposes and that time is the No. 10 time in the NCAA.
Armstrong continued her excellent 2022 campaign as she was a surprise winner in the 60-meter dash with a career-best readout of 7.16 seconds. She narrowly edged teammate Favour Ofili at the finish line who placed second with a readout of 7.17 seconds. Those two times by Armstrong and Ofili rank as the sixth and eighth fastest times in LSU history. Armstrong is just a week removed from running the third-fastest time in collegiate history in the 60-meter hurdles (7.86). In the national rankings, the converted times of 7.18 seconds for Armstrong and 7.19 seconds for Ofili rank as the fourth and fifth fastest times in the nation this year. Amber Anning placed sixth in the race with a personal best of 7.45 and Tionna Beard-Brown took seventh at 7.46 seconds.
In the men’s 60-meter dash, Da’Marcus Fleming ran the best race of his collegiate career with a career-best time of 6.60 seconds to take second in the event and insert himself at No. 3 on the all-time LSU list behind school record holder Richard Thompson (6.51) and LSU No. 2 Trindon Holliday (6.54). Dorian Camel notched a career-best of 6.62 seconds in the race to place third and move up to No. 5 on the LSU list. Kenroy Higgins II rounded out LSU’s sprinters in the event by finishing fourth with a season-best of 6.66 seconds; the time of 6.66 ranks tied for 10th in LSU history as well.
In the 400-meter, Garriel White ran a personal best of 54.32 which placed fourth on the women’s side. In men’s action, Ashton Hicks was LSU’s top finisher with a time of 46.46 to take fifth, and Aaron Smith placed ninth with a personal best of 47.63.
The LSU women moved up to No. 5 in the latest edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association’s Rating Index that was released on Monday. Only LSU sprinters and hurdles traveled to the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. LSU’s track and field will be in action when it return to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the second time this season for the Tyson Invitational on February 11-12. The team will be split up again and will also travel to Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State Classic on February 11-12.
