LSU’s Track and Field Day was highlighted by a pair of meet records in the 60-meter hurdles at the Red Raider Open in Lubbock, Texas on Friday. LSU’s defending National Champion Track and Field team competed against 14 different schools including Kentucky, Texas, and Houston. LSU was well represented and continued their strong start to 2022 in their second meet of the season.
Sophomore Alia Armstrong set a meet record of 7.96 in the women’s 60-meter hurdles and placed first overall. Freshman Leah Phillips ran 8.20 as well and placed 6th overall. Both Armstrong and Phillips qualified for the final. Junior Eric Edwards Jr. ran an impressive 7.75 in men’s 60-meter hurdles and finished first overall. Edwards Jr. qualified for the men’s 60-meter hurdles final. Both Armstrong and Edwards Jr. ran season bests, 7.96 and 7.75 and are ranked third and second in the national rankings, respectively.
Freshman Jon Nerdal finished second in the men’s weight throw with a toss of 20.12 meters and Senior Jake Norris took fourth with a throw of 19.51 meters. In the B Section of the Men’s 400-meter, Freshman Aaron Smith ran a 48.55 and finished fourth overall.
In the first round of the women’s 60-meter, Sophomore Favour Ofili ran 7.24 and placed third. Sophomore Thelma Davis ran 7.46 and placed ninth. In the women’s 60-meter final, Ofili ran 7.26, a personal record, and placed fourth overall. Sophomore Amber Anning came up big for the Tigers for the second week in a row in the women’s 200-meter. She clocked a time of 23.38 which placed her third in the event and fifth in the NCAA.
LSU had three runners in the first round of the men’s 60-meter. Freshman Da’Marcus Fleming ran 6.76, a personal best, and finished eleventh overall. Sophomore Kenroy Higgins ran 6.78 and finished thirteenth overall. Junior Dorian Camel ran 6.83 and placed nineteenth overall. Higgins qualified for the men’s 60-meter final but was disqualified for a false start.
Michaela Rose, a true freshman from Suffolk, Va., clocked 1:20.78 in the women’s 600-yard run, which was a personal record. The time placed her second and nearly tied the meet record in her event. In the women’s 800-meter final, Sophomore Hannah Carroll ran 2:14.48 and placed sixth. Senior Sara Funderburk ran 2:16.56, a personal record, and placed eighth.
In the men’s mile, Junior Adam Wise ran 4:21.64 and placed seventh. Sophomore Garret Hamilton ran 4:22.17, a personal record, and placed ninth. Freshman Jack Wallace ran 4:26.37 and placed 15th.
In the women’s mile, Freshman Callie Hardy ran 5:07.29 and placed fifth. Freshman Sophie Martin ran 5:14.45 and placed 9th. Freshman Morgan Smalls finished fourth in the Women’s Long Jump with a 5.99.
LSU had four runners in the men’s 800-meter. Sophomore David Bowe ran 1:51.27 and placed fifth. Senior Eric Coston ran 1:51.75 and placed sixth. Freshman Dylan Nimmers ran 1:52.66, a personal record, and placed eighth. Junior Thomas Daigle ran 1:55.44 and placed thirteenth.
In the women’s triple jump, Senior Kyndal McKnight jumped 12.58 meters and finished first overall. Senior Abigail O’Donoghue led the Tigers in the women’s high jump with 1.84 meters, a season-best, and finished second. Sophomore Nyagoa Bayak jumped 1.81 meters and placed fourth. Sophomore Serena Bolden jumped 12.01 meters and placed fifth. Smalls jumped 5.99 meters in the women’s long jump and finished fourth.
In the women’s 4 x 400-meter, LSU had two teams representing. The A-team: Amber Anning, Symone Mason, Caroline Odinet, and Garriel White ran 3:35.69. The B team: Michaela Rose, Hannah Carrol, Sara Funderburk, and Leah Phillips ran 3:45.63. The A team finished fifth and the B team finished seventh overall. Anning ran 23.38 in the women’s 200-meter final and finished third overall.
In the men’s 4 x 400-meter, LSU’s A team: Ashton Hicks, Dorian Camel, Aaron Smith, and Sean Burrell ran 3:08.41 and placed fourth. Smith finished with a personal best of 48.55. Both of LSU’s 4 by 400-meter relays ended the meet with top 10 national times.
In men’s shot put, Sophomore John Meyer, making his LSU debut, had a great toss of 19.32 meters and placed third. Meyer’s 19.32-meter throw ranks 10th nationally. Freshman Ji’eem Bullock jumped 6.95 meters in the men’s long jump and finished twelfth.
The LSU Tiger Track and Field team will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Randall Tyson Indoor Track in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the two-day Razorback Invitational from Friday, January 28th – 29th.
