LSU track and field coach Dennis Shaver predicts the men’s and women’s winners of the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships will be decided by the smallest of margins.And Shaver said his teams will not only have to nail down their best events this weekend in Lexington, Ky., but they will also need help from other opposing teams.”The reality of it is that all we can do is go in and control the things we have control over,” Shaver said. “A lot of it will come down to what the other SEC coaches do with their athletes in the distance races. We are more than likely not going to score in anything above the 800 [meter dash]. Certainly seeing Arkansas, Tennessee and Florida get in there and split those points up and not one team getting them all, then all of a sudden we have a chance.”The Lady Tigers are the defending SEC indoor champions after they won their first conference title in nine years in 2008. The Tigers finished second to Arkansas, their best finish at the Indoor Championships since 2001.”The men certainly are going to find it to be a real challenge,” Shaver said. “We’re not going in at all being considered the favorite — men or women.”Shaver said the Lady Tigers are lacking the experience throughout the lineup they had last season.”On the women’s team, we’re the defending champions, but we just don’t have the quality depth,” he said. “We lost nine seniors from last year who were big contributors last year, and we just don’t have that right now … If we perform just a little bit better at this track meet, we will be happy.”Shaver said LSU junior sprinter Trindon Holliday will run in only the 60-meter dash this weekend. Shaver considered running him in the 200-meter dash as well, but decided against it.”He’s only going to run the 60 meters because the risk is high for someone who has no more experience running the 200 than what he does,” Shaver said. “He hasn’t run it really since high school.”Holliday, a 5-time All-American and All-SEC sprinter, qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships with a time of 6.56 seconds in the 60-meter dash at the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in January — No. 3 in the world this season.Holliday placed second in the NCAA Indoor Championships last season with a personal best of 6.54 seconds in the 60-meter dash behind former teammate Richard Thompson. Shaver said he wants to give the junior every chance to be No. 1 in his prime event.
LSU sophomore thrower Walter Henning also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in his first season as a Tiger. He is No. 2 in the NCAA in the weight throw, and he set a personal best of 73 feet, 4 1/4 inches at the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.Henning said he will throw the shot put Saturday and the weight throw Sunday.”Every meet I’ve had over 72 feet so far this year,” Henning said. “If I throw what I’ve been throwing all year, I’ll win … I’m not looking to throw 78 feet or anything like that. This weekend, and then the NCAAs, are all about points.”—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]