The LSU track and field teams successfully defended their home turf this past Saturday at the fourth-annual “Battle on the Bayou” by sweeping the men’s and women’s team titles for the third-straight season.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers, who both entered the event ranked No. 8 by U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, each won seven events and combined to record 17 personal-best performances.
The LSU women enjoyed contributions from multiple Lady Tigers, as they scored 180 points to outpace defending NCAA outdoor champion Kansas (133), Ohio State (109.5), UCLA (98) and Mississippi State (42.5).
LSU’s 10-year-old school record in the women’s hammer throw fell when senior thrower Denise Hinton launched a throw of 209 feet, 6 inches. Not only did the throw eclipse her previous personal best by 7 feet, but the strong showing also moved her into the No. 6 spot for the NCAA rankings in 2014.
“I spent a lot of time during this past week watching film and pinpointing my corrections getting more reps with a 4 [kilogram] hammer,” Hinton said a news release. “I worked on making a few adjustments from last week, and that’s what it was all about for me this week.”
Freshman sprinter Jada Martin also enjoyed a strong showing in front of the home crowd, as the Lithonia, Ga., native set new personal bests in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.
Martin ran the 100-meter dash in 11.35 seconds to finish three-hundreths of a second ahead of Ohio State’s Ashlee Abraham. She then followed that performance with a wind-legal personal record of 23.19 seconds in the first heat of the 200-meter dash.
Despite not winning, Martin’s times earned her the No. 7 ranking in the 100 meters and the No. 8 ranking in the 200 meters.
Senior jumper Lynnika Pitts and junior thrower Tori Bliss each won their field event en route to cracking the top five national rankings for their respective events.
Pitts recorded the No. 4-ranked triple jump nationally with a wind-aided 42 feet, 3 1/2 inches to win the women’s triple jump, and Bliss tossed the second-best throw of her collegiate career and the No. 3-ranked throw in the NCAA this season at 54 feet, 7 1/2 inches.
Senior hurdler Jasmin Stowers won the 100-meter hurdles event for the second consecutive “Battle on the Bayou.”
Although the outdoor season only began last month, coach Dennis Shaver likes how his team is shaping up before the season reaches its final stages.
“It seems like we’ve only just started competing outdoors this year, but we’re now about to hit the midway point of our season before going to the championship meets” Shaver said. “That’s why it’s important that our athletes take advantage of these limited opportunities we have to get ready for what is to come in just a few short weeks.”
The LSU men also showed signs of healthy development, scoring 166 points to defeat Ohio State (106), Kansas (104), UCLA (95) and Mississippi State (74).
Making their home debuts, freshman sprinter Tremayne Acy and fellow freshman middle-distance runner Blair Henderson captured 100-meter and 800-meter supremacy.
Acy, running for the first time since injuring his leg in the SEC Indoor Championships on Feb. 28, clocked a career-best, wind-aided time of 10.20 seconds to take the 100-meter title.
Immediately following Acy, Henderson ran an outdoor personal best of 1:49.60 to win the 800-meter title. The time ranks No. 8 nationally and No. 1 among freshman in the NCAA for 2014.
LSU collected another event title from sophomore sprinter Darrell Bush’s 46.40 second performance in the men’s 400-meter dash. He was followed by former Tiger All-American Armanti Hayes (46.80) and current teammate junior Quincy Downing (46.83).
Senior sprinter Shermund Allsop made the most of his season-opener, finishing first in the men’s 200-meters in 20.90 seconds. Junior hurdler Joshua Thompson posted his fastest 110 meter hurdles time, winning the event in 13.91 seconds.
Sophomore jumper Fitzroy Dunkley leaped 50 feet, 11 1/2 inches to claim the men’s long jump, and junior thrower Jeremy Tuttle recorded a hammer throw of 204 feet, 10 inches to win his event.
After a strong showing this weekend at Bernie Moore Track Stadium, LSU will travel to Coral Gables, Fla., on Saturday for the Hurricane Alumni Invitational.
“That’s why it’s important that our athletes take advantage of these limited opportunities we have to get ready for what is to come in just a few short weeks.”