The LSU track and field team will open up the renovated Bernie Moore Track Stadium this weekend for the LSU Relays to begin a rare two-week homestand.
The LSU Relays will be the first event on the new track at Bernie Moore, which LSU coach Dennis Shaver said is more conducive to fast times and healthier training.
“The subsurface [of the track] is of much higher quality, which was the main problem with the previous track,” Shaver said. “We’ve widened the lanes around the oval and Lane 1 to make the turns more sweeping and the straightaways shorter, which reduces stress on the body and helps our athletes train better.”
Shaver said the team is excited to have a break from the numerous road trips in recent months and compete on the new Mondo surface, which is the same surface Olympians run on.
“The staff has been working feverishly this week to make sure everything’s set up, but we’re excited to get a chance to compete in front of the home fans outdoors,” Shaver said.
The surface wasn’t the only thing redone, however.
The throwing area didn’t look like it was going to be completed in time for competition, as rainy weather had the landing area looking more like a giant mud-wrestling pit than a collegiate sporting venue.
But the landing area was finished just in time for the meet this weekend.
“It’s not just the surface, we’ve reconfigured the track in many ways to make it a more athlete-friendly training and competition venue,” Shaver said. “When we have the right competition here, I look for there to be some outstanding performances at this facility.”
LSU finished the indoor portion of the season two weeks ago at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where the women finished third and the men placed fourth.  
Both squads began the outdoor season last week at the Louisiana Classics and have earned high opening spots in the first U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top 25 rankings. The Lady Tigers are ranked third, behind defending NCAA Outdoor champion Texas A&M and two-time defending NCAA Indoor champion Oregon, while the men’s team slots in at No. 5.
LSU had four event winners at the Louisiana Classics, including junior Samia Stokes’ dominating win in the discus throw, but Shaver said none of the indoor athletes who were in the NCAA Championship competed last weekend, and they will make their outdoor debuts at the LSU Relays.
“I’m interested to see how those indoor athletes perform this weekend, but they won’t be running open events because [the LSU Relays] is a relay event by design,” Shaver said. “That makes this event a great opportunity to prepare for next month’s Texas and Penn Relays.”
Sports contributor Luke Johnson contribtued to this report.