Matthew Perschall
LSU track and field sprints sophomore Jahiem Stern approaches the next hurdle Saturday, April 27, 2024, at the LSU Invitational in the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU track and field’s Loren Rangel Batres made program history at two indoor running events over the weekend in Arkansas.
The graduate student and distance runner passed the LSU all-time bests in the women’s distance medley relay and the women’s one-mile race, her previous records.
The Razorback Invitational brought together some of the top teams in the nation to compete over two days, during which multiple Tigers wrote their names in the record book.
On Friday, LSU started strong, with Machaeda Linton immediately setting a new personal best on the women’s long jump. She reached 6.63 meters or 21 feet 9 inches on her first attempt, crushing her PR of 6.42 meters from the previous home meet.
Linton’s leap placed fourth on the LSU all-time performance list and secured third at the invitational.
Meanwhile, senior Kuda Chadenga was the second Tiger to rise on the all-timers list as he finally broke the seven-foot mark in the men’s high jump at 2.15 meters. He tied for fourth in the event, and the record jump is now the eighth-highest in the program.
In the last event of the day, the women’s distance medley relay race, Callie Hardy, Garriel White, Michaela Rose and Rangel Batres ran a record-breaking time of 10:51.40, the fastest in LSU history. They placed second behind Oregon.
Hardy, White and Rose set the pace while Rangel Batres was a burst of speed in the final mile. Their time ranks second in the nation and is .02 seconds faster than BYU’s 2024 NCAA championship-winning time.
On day two, Rangel Batres picked up where she left off as she achieved another history-making time of 4:33.05 in the women’s one-mile race. She shaved off three seconds from her previous PR for the No. 1 spot on the LSU all-time list.
The men’s 60-meter hurdles were almost too close to call when Jahiem Stern topped the leaderboard with a time of 7.71 seconds in a three-way tie. The top three were designated by thousandths, with Stern in first at 7.703, followed by his competitors with times of 7.705 and 7.710 seconds.
His teammate Matthew Sophia placed fifth in the prelims and had a close finish when he caught up to second in the finals, matching his season best of 7.72 seconds and just 0.006 seconds ahead of third.
Emedy Kiplimo took it home for the LSU squad in the men’s 3000-meter run with one last all-time best performance for the day. In his first collegiate race, Kiplimo clocked in at 8:04.07 to finish in ninth. The time sits in the LSU all-time top 10 at No. 6 for the freshman.
The Tigers will hope to keep their hot streak alive when they travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Feb. 7, for the two-day New Mexico Collegiate Classic.