The LSU track and field teams will compete in the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York starting today and ending Saturday.
LSU head coach Pat Henry said the Armory Track and Field Center is one of the finest indoor facilities in the nation. He said the Armory has hosted prestigious events such as last year’s United States Track and Field Championships.
Henry wants to see the Tigers’ individual performances culminate in a good team effort. He said the Armory produces a good environment for teams to unite by promoting the event, which draws a large number of spectators.
The meet includes more than 60 teams from NCAA Divisions I, II and III, and the junior college ranks.
The LSU women’s team is ranked No. 1 by the Trackwire 25, the NCAA authority on track and field rankings. The Lady Tigers are joined by No. 3 North Carolina and No. 6 South Carolina as the only other ranked teams at the meet.
Last weekend the Lady Tigers missed qualifying for the NCAA championships in the 4 X 400-meter relay by .13 seconds. LSU will face Texas and South Carolina, which ran the nation’s first and fifth best times earlier this season in the event.
Two of the nation’s top sprinters also square off in the 60-meter and 200-meter dash. The Lady Tigers’ Muna Lee recorded times of 7.2 seconds in the 60 and 23.45 seconds in the 200, which both rate as national bests this season. Aleen Bailey of South Carolina posted times of 7.31 seconds in the 60 and 23.49 seconds in the 200, which rank as the fifth and second best times in the NCAA.
The LSU men are ranked at No. 3 by Trackwire this week and will face seven other teams ranked in the Top 25. The list of ranked teams include No. 2 South Carolina and No. 9 Purdue.
The meet pits the South Carolina and LSU 4 X 400 relay teams against each other for the second straight meet. South Carolina edged out LSU by .03 seconds to take first place in the event at last week’s Gator Invitational.