The LSU men’s and women’s track teams concluded the three-day Tiger Relays held at Bernie Moore Track Complex on Saturday with eight relay titles and seven regional qualifying times.
Both men’s and women’s 4 x 100-meter and 4 x 400 relay teams qualified for the NCAA Mideast regional meet.
“I was real pleased with the efforts that everyone gave,” said coach Dennis Shaver. “But more importantly they just act like their expectations of themselves are a little bit higher.”
All-American Kelly Willie regionally qualified in the 100-meter race over the weekend and posted the sixth-best mark in LSU history with a time of 10.25 seconds in the final.
Willie also anchored the men’s 4 x 100 relay team, in which he teamed with sophomore Xavier Carter and juniors Marvin Stevenson and Siraj Williams, placing first with a time of 39.72 seconds.
Melville Rogers and Reggie Dardar replaced Williams and Stevenson on the 4 x 400 relay team for the Tigers and crossed the finish line in 3 minutes, 5.03 seconds.
That group also finished first in the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this month in which it ran a school record time.
“This was a great start for us,” Shaver said. “It was a real challenge, especially for the people coming off the indoor championship meet.”
Jessica Ohanaja, who finished 14th in the 60-meter dash in the Indoor Championships, won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.37 seconds, and Ryan Fontenot captured first in the men’s 110-meter hurdle event.
The women’s foursome of Ohanaja, Juanita Broaddus, Brooklyn Morris and Kelly Baptiste won the 4 x 100 relay in 44.74 seconds.
Morris and Broaddus joined Cynetheia Rooks and Deonna Lawrence in the 4 x 400 relay, and they finished first with a time of 3:31.71.
Broaddus and junior Sherry Fletcher, as well as Ohanaja, qualified, and they finished second and third, respectively, in the 100-meter final with times of 11.65 and 11.70.
Isa Phillips and Shaunette Davidson also regionally qualified in the 400-meter hurdles and high jump, respectively.
Senior Patrick Gavin finished first in the men’s mile with a time of 4:06.66, just .66 seconds off the regional qualifying mark.
The Tigers will compete in the Tiger Classic this weekend before traveling to Austin, Texas, for the highly anticipated Texas Relays.
 
Contact Jeff Martin at [email protected]