With the indoor regular season behind them, the LSU track and field teams have their sights set on competing in the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field championships Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark., at the Randall Tyson Track Center.LSU will travel to Fayetteville to compete in an indoor meet for the second time this season, and several LSU athletes will return later to compete for the NCAA championships, which will also take place at the Tyson Track Center.LSU coach Dennis Shaver said the team altered its approach this week in order to prepare for the conference championships.”It’s a good time for us to do just enough work to keep them sharp, but at the same time really try to rest them up,” Shaver said. “In all honesty, just in the last couple of days I can really tell that they’re getting ready to go.”The SEC is stacked on both the men’s and women’s sides this season. The SEC boasts five schools in the top 25 in both the men’s and women’s United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings, including the Tigers at No. 3 and the Lady Tigers at No. 5.Though the competition for the conference title will be stout, LSU is among the favorites to take it home thanks to several standout athletes.Junior thrower Walter Henning has been like Hercules in purple and gold this season. Henning owns the nation’s top performance in the weight throw by more than a foot and a half this season at 76 feet, 6.5 inches.After setting what was then a personal record in the weight throw at last season’s SEC Championship when he threw the 35-pound weight 74 feet, 5.5 inches, Henning has a strong chance to repeat as the SEC champion in the weight throw.Sophomore hurdler Barrett Nugent has been a revelation for the Tigers this season. Nugent ran a personal best time of 7.71 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. The time is currently No. 4 on the NCAA performance list this season, and was .01 seconds off an automatic qualifying time for the NCAA championships.”My motivation this week? Being the SEC champion — that’s my sole motivation,” Nugent said.Freshman sprinter Takeia Pinckney burst onto the scene this season with high marks in the 60-meter sprint. Pinckney’s time of 7.31 seconds in the event at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational is currently ranked No. 7 on the NCAA performance list, and is the top time for all freshmen sprinters.Pinckney will face tough competition in the event from Auburn junior Shaniqua Ferguson and South Carolina junior Lakya Brookins, who hold the Nos. 1 and 3 spots, respectively, in the conference in the event.____Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]