LSU’s indoor and outdoor track and field seasons run from Jan. 5 to June 9. Within those five months, the Tigers compete in 22 meets, with 14 being multi-day meets.
The Tigers only had one week of rest between the indoor and outdoor seasons, and had a meet every single week the entire season.
Needless to say, the seasons are a grind, and so far this season, the Tigers have responded well to the challenge. A specific example is that the men and women’s performance at the Battle on the Bayou, following the Texas Relays, is one of the biggest meets of the outdoor season.
“Coming off the TexasRelays, which is a huge meet, a lot of work goes in mentally and physically to that kind of meet,” LSU coach Dennis Shaver said. “You have to be able to get these things done when you don’t feel like you can, and I thought some kids really stepped it up today and did a good job for us.”
One of the Lady Tigers that stepped up was junior Kortnei Johnson, who posted the third-fastest time nationally in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 22.52 seconds.
Johnson was also a part of the quartet of Lady Tigers who posted the fastest time nationally in the 4×100-meter relay, with a time of 42.50 seconds. The squad is undefeated this season in the 4x100m relay.
The Lady Tigers moved to No. 2 in the national rankings following the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational, where they won 13 events.
LSU track and field is notorious for their speed at shorter distances such as the 200m and 400-meter dash, but the Lady Tigers have improved immensely, in particular, in the middle distance events.
“In the middle distance, I was really pleased with Ersula Farrow and Hollie Parker,” Shaver said. “That’s not even really their specialty event. That’s a confidence builder for them.”
Both teams have put themselves in great position to compete very well at the Southeastern Conference Championships, with the chance to win quite a few events. Both the men and women’s 4x100m relay times are the fastest in the country, and should not only challenge for the SEC Championship, but also the NCAA Championship.
The men have a number of SEC Championship qualifiers.
Sophomore Akanni Hislop and junior Jahnoy Thompson both currently have top-10 times in the SEC for the 200m dash; junior Correion Mosby currently has a top-10 time in the SEC for the 400m dash; freshman Damion Thomas currently has the third fastest time nationally in the 110-meter hurdles; junior Christian Boyd currently has the fourth fastest time in the SEC for the 400-meter hurdles; the 4×400-meter relay team of Thompson, Mosby, senior Renard Howell and junior Jaron Flournoy currently have a top-10 time in the SEC.
The women also have many SEC and NCAA Championship qualifiers. In the 100-meter dash, the Lady Tigers have three of the top five times nationally: senior Aleia Hobbs in first, Johnson in second and senior Mikiah Brisco in fifth.
Johnson and Brisco also currently have the second and 10th fastest time nationally in the 200m dash, and junior Rachel Misher and Hobbs have top-10 times in the SEC.
Senior Kymber Payne currently has a top-10 time in the SEC for the 400m dash; Farrow currently has a top-three time nationally in the 800-meter run; sophomore Tonea Marshall currently has the third-fastest time nationally in the 100-meter hurdles; Payne currently has the fastest time nationally in the 400m hurdles; the 4x400m relay team of Payne, sophomore Cassondra Hall, senior Oksana Lawrence, and sophomore Brittley Humphrey currently have a top-10 time nationally.
Heading into the SEC Championships in May, the Tigers and Lady Tigers both have shown a tremendous amount of resilience, and should finish out this season with a bang.