Like every student, the members of the LSU track and field teams had some time to enjoy the holidays with their friends and family.
But with the spring semester starting up, it’s time to do work.
After months of preparation, the teams look ready to start the 2011 season with a bang, as the Tigers are ranked No. 2 and the Lady Tigers are No. 3.
Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers finished in the top six in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships last season and are hoping to do more damage this season.
“We had a very productive fall in preparing for the start of the indoor season, and I know that we are anxious to compete for the first time,” said coach Dennis Shaver in a news release. “Our athletes have trained with great focus and intensity to this point.”
The team kicked off its season Saturday with a home meet at the Carl Maddox Field House. Though not all of the athletes performed in the meet, LSU showed what it was made of, as 14 athletes set personal bests and two jumpers qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Senior Zedric Thomas and sophomore Damar Forbes dueled for the long-jump title at the meet, each establishing personal bests in the event in the process. Both cleared the 25-foot-11-inch automatic qualifying mark to advance to the national meet in March. Thomas won the event with a jump of 26 feet 3.75 inches, beating Forbes by three quarters of an inch.
Lady Tiger sprinter Semoy Hackett nearly qualified for nationals by winning the 60-meter run in her first meet as a Lady Tiger. Hackett sprinted to the finish line in 7.28 seconds, good for tenth place on LSU’s all time indoor performance list for the event.
The Tigers return eight All-American athletes from 2010 — none more dynamic than senior thrower and reigning NCAA champion Walter Henning.
The Kings Park, N.Y., native was dominant in his junior season, finishing with the longest throw in every meet he competed in last year — both indoor and outdoor.
Henning was named to the Bowerman Award watch list to start the season. The award is track and field’s most distinguished award and is given out to top male and female performers.
The five-time All-American and four-time Southeastern Conference champion was a semifinalist for the award last season after claiming the NCAA championship in both the weight throw (indoor) and the hammer throw (outdoor).
The Tigers also return three NCAA runners-up in 2011.
Seniors Josh Dominguez, Thomas and junior Barrett Nugent combined to accumulate seven All-American performances in 2010.
The end of the 2010 season took some serious experience from the Lady Tigers. In their four seasons at LSU, LaTavia Thomas and Samantha Henry combined for 27 All-American honors, 12 SEC championships and three National Championships.
But improvements by some of the younger runners and an influx of talent could ease the loss of the two stellar performers.
Joining Henning on the Bowerman watch list is Hackett, who is in her first season at LSU after transferring from Division II Lincoln University.
Hackett was a 10-time NCAA Division II national champion during her two years at Lincoln University, nabbing back-to-back championships in the 100-meter, indoor 200-meter, outdoor 200-meter and 4×100-meter relay.
Sophomore sprinter Takeia Pinckney should build on her impressive freshman season, when she garnered All-America honors for her fourth-place finish in the 100-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]