After setting an LSU indoor record at the Carl Maddox Field House last weekend, Walter Henning and the LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers head to College Station, Texas, this Saturday for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.Henning’s record-setting weight throw of 72 feet, 3 3/4 inches was a personal best for the North Carolina transfer, who holds the Southeastern Conference lead by more than seven feet. He was named the SEC Field Athlete of the Week for his performance. Among his competitors is Missouri senior Chris Rohr, who has the second farthest throw of entrants in the meet at 70 feet, 4 1/4 inches.LSU will be joined by SEC teams Florida and Ole Miss while Texas, Texas A&M and Missouri will represent the Big 12 at Texas A&M’s brand new Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium. The new stadium will also host the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 13-14.”The problem we have with the meet at this time of the year is the entry restrictions in the events,” said LSU track and field coach Dennis Shaver. “You can only enter four people in each event.”The No. 2 Lady Tigers will run against the No. 1 Texas A&M Aggie women, led by All-Americans Porscha Lucas and Jessica Beard. The A&M women beat No. 4 Tennessee, 83-69, last Saturday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.LSU All-Americans Samantha Henry and Kenyanna Wilson will run the 60-meter dash against Lucas and Beard.Junior Marian Kevkhishvili, the SEC Female Field Athlete of the Week, and SEC Female Freshman of the Week Genevieve LaCaze, both from Florida, will compete alongside the Lady Tigers against the Big 12 this week.Kevkhishvili was the 2008 NCAA indoor shot put champion and LaCaze was named 2008 SEC Cross Country Freshman of the Year in the fall.Among the Lady Tigers joining Kevkhishvili at the SEC/Big 12 Challenge are senior long jumper Andrea Linton (20 feet, 3 inches) and junior pole vaulter Katelyn Rodrigue (12 feet, 11 1/2 inches), who both set NCAA provisional qualifying marks for the Lady Tigers last weekend.”Jumping a little over 20 feet the first meet — I think that’s a real big accomplishment,” Shaver said about Linton.Senior sprinter Trindon Holliday, who will be the only Tiger in his heat, looks to better his 60-meter dash time of 6.66 seconds last weekend, .01 seconds faster than his preliminary time.”I was kind of shocked myself, I ran a 6.67 in the prelims,” Holliday said. ——Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]
Track and Field: LSU heads to College Station this Saturday
By Rowan Kavner
Sports Contributor
Sports Contributor
January 30, 2009