Through rain or shine, LSU track and field continues its record-breaking run into the outdoor season.

From the stormy bayou to sunny beaches, the Tigers’ first three meets were a whirlwind.

As one of the only off-weeks until nationals, now is a perfect time to recap the highlights and the biggest storylines established in the early stages of the season.

Chad Hendricks debuts at the Lurline Hamilton Invitational

The outdoor season opened with a home invitational composed of almost all in-state teams aside from South Alabama. New and returning faces earned LSU 12 individual wins – the most of any team at the meet.

With many of the sprinters and other regulars still on rest from the indoor season, this was a chance for some new arrivals to make a statement.

On queue, freshman Chad Hendricks threw in his first discus event for LSU and topped the scoresheets. His new personal record is 54.13 meters or just over 177 feet.

Coming in hot as the No. 1 U20 discus thrower last year, Hendricks will be a name to look out for throughout the season.

Another standout performance was from fifth-year senior Gwyneth Hughes who led herself to victory in a dominant 9:52.99 3000-meter run, which was just short of her 9:52.38 personal record.

Johanna Duplantis goes highest amid rainy Battle on the Bayou

The Tigers spent another week in Baton Rouge as LSU’s annual meet brought together over 40 schools from each end of the country to battle it out in the bayou.

In true Louisiana fashion, the weather did not comply, but it was just another hurdle for the weekend’s competitors. Through two days of on-and-off downpour, athletes claimed personal bests despite the stadium being far from dry.

Senior Johanna Duplantis was one of them.

Her previous record was set just a week before at the Lurline Hamilton Invitational where she placed first in the women’s pole vault. Duplantis upped her game once again and reached an astounding 4.25 meters or nearly 14 feet.

She now ranks second in the SEC and seventh in the U.S.

Day two saw some cancellations and adjustments due to the persistent weather, but that wasn’t going to hinder Jelani Watkins.

The wide receiver is fresh off his debut indoor season, in which he broke multiple program records in the sprints.

In the redshirt freshman’s event debut, Watkins ran 100 meters in 10.01 seconds – the fastest time in the SEC and third in the country. The second-fastest was set by Eddie Nketia from USC who won the event by four-thousandths of a second.

Another redshirt freshman, Leah Acosta, debuted in the women’s discus, which is her first competition back from her injury, Acosta threw a personal record of 51.88 meters or 170 feet – the ninth-farthest in LSU history.

Women’s 200-meter 1-2 finish in Battle on the Beach

The Tigers spent their spring break moving up in the national ranks. On the sandy shores of Long Beach, California, LSU faced a sample of the best track and field athletes in the nation.

Redshirt freshman Princesse Hyman stepped up for the first discus throw of her collegiate career and proved it won’t be her last. Her distance of 55.49 meters or 182 feet marks the third-best performance in LSU history and ranks her No. 20 in the nation.

Hendricks returned to throw for third-place and take the fifth spot in the SEC.

The Tigers on the track kept it moving as Tima Godbless and Ella Onojuvwevwo went side-by-side in the women’s 200-meter dash.

The duo finished with not even half a second between them as Godbless pulled out the win in 22.66 seconds, which positions her at No. 6 in the nation and Onojuvwevwo at No. 12.

Shortly thereafter, Jaiden Reid made his first outdoor-season appearance at the starting line of the men’s 200-meter dash and clocked a time of 20.33 seconds, finishing in the front of the pack. He climbs to first in the SEC and fourth in the country.

Three meets down, the men’s team rose to No. 10 rank, and the women maintained No. 17.

The squads will be split on opposite sides of the U.S. next week as some perform at the three-day Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, and others travel for a weekend in Gainesville, Florida, at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational.

The Tigers will be preparing for the fast-approaching midseason, where their ranks will undoubtedly be tested.