The Penn Relays tradition and LSU’s track and field dynasty go hand in hand. The program boasts more event victories than any other college.
“This is definitely the biggest meet in the U.S. every year,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver.
The LSU track program had its share of Olympians arise from last year’s meet. Olympian sprinters Kelly Willie and Bennie Brazell made a name for themselves at last year’s event.
The two sprinters lead the third-ranked Tigers and unranked Lady Tigers in an attempt to re-establish their prestige beginning today at the 111th Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
Willie and Brazell helped pace the Tigers 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay teams to a second place finish at last year’s relays. The 4×100-meter squad finished in 39.48 seconds, just .03 seconds behind Texas Christian University. The 4×400-meter squad finished with a time of 3:01.39 behind Florida.
The Tigers ran their best 4×100-meter relay in 38.9 seconds at the Sun Angel Classic in Arizona on April 16. It marks the second-fastest NCAA time this year. Marvin Stevenson and Richard Thompson paced the Tigers on the first two legs, while Brazell and Willie helped the Tigers cross the finish line.
The squad also ran a 38.94 at the Texas Relays on April 9. The only change came when Xavier Carter replaced Thompson on the first leg.
But those times mean nothing when it comes to the Penn Relays where rain and wind often affect the competition, Shaver said. Willie and Brazell’s experience last year should help the sprinters though.
“It’s a little more difficult to run those times on this track,” Shaver said. “We want to run fast, but more importantly we want to win the race.”
Thompson, Carter, Willie and Brazell will compete for the Tigers in the event this weekend.
“It’s our best combination right now, but I don’t know if it will be by the end of the year,” Shaver said.
The men’s best 4×400-meter relay came at the Texas Relays with a time of 3:05.19 on April 6. Brazell and Willie also paced the last half of that race. The other top times came from completely different line-ups.
Shaver said the Tigers ran different combinations all year long in order to match up the best team before the NCAA championships. With Carter finishing spring football practice, the Tigers will have his service in both the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays, which should shave two seconds from the legs Carter runs, he said.
“Once I get into track shape, I feel like I’ll finish strong,” Carter said.
With no prior experience at the Penn Relays, Carter said he will block out the distractions by focusing on the competition.
“I don’t know how big it’s going to be, but I’ve heard it’s an awesome experience,” Carter said. “I think we’ve got a good shot at winning all the relays this weekend.”
The Lady Tigers won both the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relays last year, but the sprinters from those teams graduated. The women’s team has won either the 4×100 or 4×200-meter relay every year since 1993. But this year’s meet could be a learning experience, Shaver said.
“Our approach has always been the same at this meet,” Shaver said. “We always have a few instances that hold us down in these relays, but we always work through them.”
The Penn relays average more than 60,000 in attendance each day. If the women’s sprinters can look past that distraction, there will be no problems when future tests come their way, Shaver said.
“If they can just relax, they’ll run a seasonal best,” Shaver said. “We’ll approach this meet like any other meet. And if they can handle the pressure here, they can compete anywhere.”