LSU track and field capped a historic season two weeks ago at the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The Tigers had several standout performances in the finals, including top finishes and All-American honors, with the women finishing 13th and the men 28th.
The highest scoring individual from both teams was sophomore Tima Godbless in the 100-meter final on Saturday, June 14.
Despite a slow start, she surged into the closing meters to claim third place [STAT]. Earning bronze is a major leap forward from her eighth-place finish last year, and she closes her second season as a two-time First Team All-American.
Another big improvement came from Ella Onojuvwevwo in the 400-meter dash. After placing sixth in 2024, she timed 50.57 seconds to take fourth in this year’s finals.
Earlier that week in the semifinal round, Onojuvwevwo set a program record with her best time yet of 50.31 seconds.
The much-anticipated 800-meter final saw senior Michaela Rose compete for the final time in her collegiate career.
The 2025 record-holder posted another stellar performance but came up short of a top-three finish at fourth. Her time of 1:59.47 earned her a 13th career All-American honor and ninth First Team selection.
The women’s 4×100-meter relay team’s elite lineup of Machaeda Linton, Nasya Williams, Aniyah Bigam and Godbless claimed eighth on the weekend with a time of 43.30 seconds.
In the field events, freshman Princesse Hyman impressed in her NCAA debut, landing 11th in the discus. The throw of 56.40 meters was a personal best and moved her up to No. 3 in LSU history.
The women accumulated 20 points across all events to secure 13th in the nation, two places up from their No. 15 ranking.
The men’s team competed in finals on Friday, June 13, highlighted by the breakout performance of freshman Jelani Watkins in the 100-meter race.
In his NCAA debut, he led the team with a time of 10.10 seconds and achieved third after barely missing out on second by one-thousandth of a second.
His sophomore teammate Jaiden Reid followed closely at 10.17 seconds in sixth, and the pair tallied nine points for LSU.
Senior Kuda Chadenga fell short of what could’ve been a season-best height of 2.20 meters in the high jump. Yet, he tied for eighth after clearing 2.15 meters and added 0.33 points to the table.
Another points-scorer was junior Jahiem Stern, who competed in the 110-meter hurdles and finished seventh and timing 13.57 seconds.
In an unfortunate turn of events, the men’s relay team was disqualified post-race for lane violations. Stern, Reid, Myles Thomas and Watkins crossed the line third, which would have been a huge points haul for the Tigers, but their bronze finish was nullified.
Overall, the men scored 11.33 points and placed 28th in the standings after being ranked 18th heading into the competition.
Despite some setbacks and disappointments, LSU’s performance at the NCAA championships demonstrated the team’s capabilities.
With rising stars like Watkins, Godbless and Hyman, the Tigers will continue to prove they are a national contender on the track and look ahead to another competitive season in 2026.
