Just because the collegiate season is finished doesn’t mean LSU’s track athletes have a break from their sport. Three Lady Tigers took home gold medals in last week’s 2012 North American, Central American & Caribbean Under-23 Championships. These athletes did not represent LSU in these events, but instead represented their home countries. “We had several athletes represent the U.S. or Trinidad in the NACAC,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver. “There’s publicity and recognition to be earned for Louisiana State University from the result of performing well at these events… Ultimately, it’s a huge reflection on the program, and it would reflect negatively if they performed poorly.” Senior sprinter Kimberlyn Duncan bounced back from a disappointing Olympic trial meet, where she narrowly missed a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, to become the first-ever Lady Tiger to win the 200-meter dash at the NACAC by posting a time of 22.72 seconds. The meet record set by Duncan beat Texas sophomore Allison Peter of the U.S. Virgin Islands by .2 seconds. Duncan, the Bowerman finalist for the nation’s top track and field athlete, also anchored the U.S. team’s 4×100-meter relay event on her way to another gold medal for the Americans. “It’s not much different from the way we approach things during the season,” Shaver said. “During the summer, we facilitate the athletes as much as we can… Our athletes have had great success running against not only the best in the U.S., but the best in the world.” Senior sprinter Cassandra Tate also brought back two titles from Guanajuato, Mexico, becoming the second Lady Tiger to win the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.62. Tate followed former Lady Tiger standout Nickiesha Wilson in 2008 as the only other LSU athlete to win the event. Tate and fellow senior sprinter Rebecca Alexander also helped push the U.S. team to a five-second win over Trinidad and Tobago in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:28.64. Alexander rounded out the Lady Tigers’ weekend with an individual gold medal in the 400-meter dash, setting a meet record with a time of 51.20 seconds. Senior hurdler Barrett Nugent was the only Tiger to receive a spot on the podium in Mexico when he finished second in the 110-meter hurdles after posting a time of 13.32 seconds, breaking his own school record. LSU’s athletes aren’t done with their off-season competitions just yet, as four Tigers travel to Barcelona, Spain, for the 2012 IAAF Junior Championships, which begin today and run through July 15. Freshmen Rodney Brown, Quincy Downing and Aaron Ernest will be representing the red, white and blue in Barcelona, while Andreas Duplantis will be pole vaulting for Sweden. “For many of them, this is their first time competing on the world stage,” Shaver said. “We’re excited about them being there, and we have high expectations for them. I’m confident in them representing LSU.”
 
____ Contact Mike Gegenhimer at [email protected]