While temperatures reached almost freezing in Baton Rouge on Saturday afternoon, the LSU women’s track and field team heated up Carl Maddox Fieldhouse, posting three automatic qualifying times in the first meet of the indoor season at the Purple Tiger Classic. Junior sprinter Nickiesha Wilson qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships by posting a personal-best time of 8.12 in the 60-meter hurdles. Fellow All-American senior sprinter and hurdler Jessica Ohanaja finished second behind Wilson but still managed to post a provisional qualifying time of 8.27 seconds. Wilson attributed her success in Saturday’s opening meet to the effort she has spent getting better at coming out of the blocks. “For a couple of weeks, I’ve been focusing on my starts in practice,” she said. “I really improved on it [Saturday].” Joining Wilson in the winners circle was senior sprinter Juanita Broaddus and sophomore sprinter Samantha Henry, who each qualified for an automatic bid to the NCAA Indoor Championships by posting identical 7.26 times in the 60-meter dash. The duo each won a share of the event title. Broaddus and Henry’s 7.26 time clocked in as the fastest in the country so far this season, and also moved them into a tie for sixth place on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list. “The first 30 [meters] set the tone for the rest of the race,” Henry said. “I went out there and drove, transitioned and finished it off. It felt better than I expected.” Senior sprinter Kelly Baptiste finished third in the 60-meter dash with a provisional qualifying time of 7.33 seconds. LSU coach Dennis Shaver said he was impressed with how hard his team competed at such an early point in the season. “What I liked the most was the competitive nature of the entire team in every event area,” Shaver said. “We’ve been working hard in trying to develop that.” The Lady Tigers also excelled in the field events Saturday. Leading the way was sophomore jumper Katelyn Rodrigue who topped her own indoor school record in the pole vault with a clearance of 12 feet, 11.5 inches – good enough for a provisional qualifying height. Junior jumper Andrea Linton also set a provisional qualifying mark by leaping 42-5 in the triple jump competition. “We have the potential to score some big points in the field events this year,” Shaver said. A few key contributors to the men’s squad were missing Saturday. Sprinters Trindon Holliday and Richard Thompson did not compete, as they were both working back into shape. Sophomore thrower Ricky Jean-Francois was also held out of Saturday’s meet. Shaver said he expects Jean-Francois to return to practice this week. The men’s and women’s teams will take their performances on the road this upcoming week when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Razorback Invitational.
—-Contact James Rees at [email protected]