Despite rain, wind and temperatures in the mid-50s, the LSU track and field teams posted 16 NCAA regional automatic qualifying marks Saturday in the finals of the Tiger Relays at Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
LSU head coach Pat Henry said choosing events which the team could do well in was the key to success for the Tigers this weekend.
“We had to really pick and choose some things we thought were important,” Henry said. “Weather is a dictator, and it dictated what we could do today. We still had some good things happen.”
The LSU women registered 12 automatic qualifiers this weekend with nine first-place finishes.
LSU junior Muna Lee returned to action this weekend for the first time since the NCAA Indoor national championships. Lee won the 100-meter dash in 11.34 seconds and anchored the Lady Tigers in the 400-meter relay with a first-place finish in 44.55 seconds. Both times were automatic qualifying marks.
LSU’s Hazel-Ann Regis finished first in the 400-meter dash. Nadia Davy and Stephanie Butler finished third in the 400-meter dash. Regis qualified for regionals with a time of 53.82 seconds.
Katie Denton posted a 17:54.43 mark in the 5000-meter run for LSU. The time earned Denton a spot at the NCAA Regionals and ranked seventh all-time for LSU in the event.
The Lady Tigers placed first in the 1600-meter relay with a time of 3:40.53. The time qualifies LSU’s foursome of Kieokie Lutcher, Stephanie Butler, Neisha Bernard-Thomas and Althea Thomas for Regionals.
Katie McKeever led the Lady Tigers on the field with a first-place finish in the shot put. She took third on LSU’s all-time record book with a throw of 49-07.5. McKeever also placed second in the discus throw with a distance of 162-00. The sophomore from Woodland, Calif. qualified for Regionals in both events.
The LSU men earned four Regional qualifying marks at this weekend’s meet.
Jimmy Wiggins, Ryan Gallup and Jason Laine took the top three places in the 5000-meter run. Wiggins led the pack with a 14:55.97 mark.
The Tigers also won the 1600-meter relay in 3:08.16 to qualify for Regionals.
LSU junior Joe Lochridge led the Tigers in the field events with first place in the shot put and second in the discus throw. He recorded regional qualifying distances of 54-10.25 in the shotput and 162-02 in the discus.
The Tigers will next be in action at the Texas Relays on Wednesday when the Tigers travel to Austin, Texas.