The Tigers and Lady Tigers had 10 athletes advance to finals on the first day of the SEC Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama , but one LSU athlete contributed three wins to LSU’s total of six event wins at the at the Sam Bailey Stadium on May 12–14.
“The SEC Championship is one of the most competitive track meets you will find outside of meets like the NCAA Championships and the Olympic Games,” LSU coach Dennis Shaver said in a press release, “and that really showed again in our time here this weekend.”
The 10 athletes included junior distance runner Morgan Schuetz, senior sprinter and hurdler Chanice Chase, and junior sprinters Jada Martin and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.
Schuetz placed fourth overall in the women’s 800 meter preliminary race with a time of 2:06.11.
Chase competed in the 400-meter hurdles to finish in third overall in 56.50 seconds.
Martin had a time of 22.74 seconds for a No. 5 spot in the women’s 200-meter dash.
Mitchell-Blake’s performance was strong as he finished in the No. 1 spot in the men’s 200-meter dash with a time of 20.31 seconds to qualify for the final round Saturday.
The LSU women’s and men’s track teams refused to halt their progression from the first day, as 12 more athletes advanced on day two of the championships.
Sophomore sprinter Mikiah Brisco and freshman sprinter Kortnei Johnson finished the women’s 100-meter dash in third and fourth place, respectively. Brisco ended the preliminary round in 11.34 seconds, and Johnson finished in 11.36 seconds.
Junior hurdler Jordan Moore conquered the men’s 110-meter hurdles as he qualified for finals with a first place finish in 13.72 seconds. Moore earned the title for the event on the final day with a time of 13.53 seconds.
“I feel like it’s really one of my first races of the season,” Moore said. “A win is a win, but I still have a lot of work to do to get to where I want to be.”
Junior sprinter Michael Cherry placed second overall in the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 45.22 seconds.
Senior Fitzroy Dunkley won a bronze medal with his performance in the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 45.34 seconds.
Mitchell-Blake claimed another leading performance in the men’s 100-meter dash, winning with a time of 10.30 seconds.
Mitchell-Blake continued his sweep of the championship as he won both men’s 100 and 200-meter dash titles and anchored a winning 4×100 men’s relay team in Saturday’s finals.
In the 100-meter dash, Mitchell-Blake finished in 10.16 seconds and clocked an impressive 19.95 seconds in the 200-meter dash to become one of the fastest in NCAA’s 200-meter track and field history.
“Everything after the race was just all emotion,” said Mitchell-Blake. “Not many guys go 19 [seconds], you know. It’s nice to know you’re in a category like that … I’ve been really focused throughout the season, and I definitely feel like my work is paying off right now.”
He joined freshman sprinter Jaron Flournoy and junior sprinters Renard Howell and Tremayne Acy to win the 4×100 men’s relay race with a time of 38.33 seconds.
Cherry, Dunkley, senior Cyril Grayson and junior LaMar Bruton also took the men’s 1600-meter relay title with a time of 3:00.48 seconds.
The women’s 4×100 relay team was not far behind as they grabbed a title win in their event in 42.77 seconds. The team consisted of Brisco, Johnson, Martin and junior sprinter Rushell Harvey.
Rebekah Wales placed and finished third overall to win the bronze medal in the women’s javelin throw with a length of 180 feet, 7 inches.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers look to keep up the momentum when they compete in the NCAA Preliminary Rounds on May 26-28, and will participate in the final NCAA Championships on June 8-11.