The season opener is just two weeks away for the LSU track and field teams, and both the Tigers and Lady Tigers are among the national championship contenders once again as both have earned Top 10 rankings in the preseason coaches’ poll released Thursday.The Lady Tigers will open the season ranked No. 2 nationally, while the Tigers will boast a No. 8 national ranking by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.The LSU women returned to their rightful place atop the sport of collegiate track and field a year ago with their national championship win at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. The Lady Tigers nearly made it a sweep of indoor and outdoor titles as they also earned a runner-up finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2008.Junior middle distance star LaTavia Thomas returns to defend her NCAA Indoor title in the 800-meter run after winning in dramatic fashion a year ago. Thomas leads the Lady Tiger squad after a breakout sophomore season that saw her earn four All-America honors while also running a leg on LSU’s indoor national champion 4×400-meter relay team.Fellow junior Samantha Henry is a national title contender in both the 60 meters and 200 meters after establishing herself as one of the nation’s top sprinters with her performance in 2008. She is already an All-American at 60 meters after finishing fifth at the NCAA Indoor meet last season.The Tigers will also look to contend for national championships this season after finishing fourth at the NCAA Indoor meet and second at the NCAA Outdoor meet in 2008.Junior Trindon Holliday is the nation’s top returning performer in the 60-meter dash as he was the NCAA runner-up last season in his first ever appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He boasts a personal best of 6.54 seconds that he set in a runner-up finish to teammate and LSU great Richard Thompson (6.51) at the national meet in Fayetteville, Ark.The Tigers have also received a boost to their depth in the field events this year with the addition of sophomore transfer Walter Henning, who placed third in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor meet a year ago while competing for the University of North Carolina.The USTFCCCA Division I indoor track and field rankings are compiled solely using the NCAA descending order lists, and this year’s preseason rankings are based on returning athletes and their position on the final descending order list for the 2008 season.LSU opens the indoor season on Jan. 23 when it plays host to the Purple Tiger Classic at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse. This year’s SEC Indoor Championship will be held at the Nutter Fieldhouse in Lexington, Ky., from Feb. 27-March 1, while the McFerrin Athletic Center in College Station, Texas, will play host to the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 13-14.