The LSU men’s and women’s track and field teams placed fourth and third, respectively in the two-day Razorback Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Sprinters pushed the Tigers to first place in the men’s team standings with 46.5 points at the end of the first day of competition. They were led by sophomore Tremayne Acy, who ran a personal best time of 20.85 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
Following his performance, Acy became the NCAA’s No. 5 ranked 200-meter sprinter for the 2015 indoor season. Acy also qualified for Saturday’s semifinal round of the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.72.
Sophomore Nataliyah Friar made headlines for the Lady Tigers on the first day as she became LSU’s first event champion of the competition, winning gold in the women’s long jump with a distance of 20 feet, 2 ½ inches. Friar was an NCAA indoor finalist with LSU as a freshman last season.
On the second day, senior Vernon Norwood took home the silver medal in the 400-meter dash with a time of 45.56 seconds. The NCAA indoor silver medalist from last year finished behind only Florida’s Najee Glass and was one of two Tigers in the top five of the final event standings.
Senior Tori Bliss won her fourth-consecutive shot put title for the Lady Tigers by more than four feet with a throw of 57 feet, 1 ½ inches on her first throw of the invitational. Bliss took home gold again after breaking her own school record for the indoor shot-put competition last weekend at the Rod McCravy Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky.
Freshman Daeshon Gordon won first place in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.30 seconds in the final heat. It was Gordon’s first collegiate victory, and she is now No. 13 in the NCAA rankings this season.
LSU’s men’s and women’s teams earned four event wins and 21 indoor personal bests. Seven of the Tiger and Lady Tigers’ performances in the invitational ranked among the NCAA’s Top 16 for the 2015 season.
“It was another positive step forward for both of our teams here in Arkansas this weekend,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver in a news release. “I am very pleased with the approach shown by our athletes to each meet to this point. It’s important that we continue to progress in the coming weeks so we are where we need to be when we make it back here for the NCAA Championships.”
Following the invitational, the team is halfway through the 2015 indoor season. LSU will be back in action next weekend in the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on February 6-7 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.