The LSU men’s and women’s track and field teams are both ranked No. 1 in the country for the second-straight week, but coach Dennis Shaver said the Tigers’ positioning in the polls does not mean a thing. “Rankings are good and fine and dandy,” Shaver said. “But it’s still going to be a race that’s too close to call.” The race Shaver referred to is the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held May 15-18 at Auburn’s Hutsell-Rosen Track. Shaver said after a strong performance in this past weekend’s Penn Relays, the Lady Tigers will be favored to win the SEC Championships. “Right now they should be the team favorite,” he said. “It’s their championship to win. Another team would really have to step it up a lot to beat us.” The Lady Tigers claimed top honors in the 4×100, 4×800, shuttle hurdle and sprint medley relays at the Penn Relays, setting two meet records in the process. Their 42.59 time in the 4×100-meter relay was the third-fastest time in the history of women’s collegiate track. They also dominated the shuttle-hurdle relay, breaking the collegiate record with a time of 53.77 – eight milliseconds faster than the previous mark set by Illinois in 2001. “We are definitely on our game this year,” said junior sprinter Nickiesha Wilson. “We have a very strong team.” The Lady Tigers will be gunning for their second-consecutive SEC Outdoor Championship after securing their first conference title in more than a decade this past season. Shaver said the men’s team, while perched atop the national rankings, will undoubtedly face stiff competition from several teams at the SEC Championships. “The Arkansas Razorbacks will be highly motivated, and you can never count out the Tennessee squad,” Shaver said. “But our men have a legitimate shot.” The Razorbacks and Volunteers are ranked No. 8 and No. 12 in the nation, respectively. Senior Richard Thompson, a member of the Tigers’ 4×100 relay team, said the Tigers draw their motivation from past failures. “Since coach Shaver has been here, we haven’t won an SEC title,” he said. “We owe it to him, and we owe it to ourselves to step up and win a championship.” The Tigers have not won an SEC Outdoor Championship since 1990 but came close a year ago with a runner-up finish. “We have the talent,” Thompson said. “We are very confident we can pull it off.” After the SEC Championships, LSU will compete in the NCAA Mideast Regionals on May 30-31. The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa.
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