The LSU track and field teams have been setting a scorching early season pace.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., for the two-day Razorback Invitational event held at the Randal Tyson Track Complex on Friday and Saturday. LSU had one athlete and a relay team qualify for the 2012 NCAA Division I Championship Meet during the event.
“[The Razorback Invitational] is some of the best competition in the nation in one of the best facilities,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver.
Junior runner Charlene Lipsey qualified for the NCAAs with her nation-leading performance in the 800-meter, running 2:03.79, just .14 seconds ahead of Arkansas junior Stephanie Brown, who also had an automatic qualifier time. Lipsey’s time ranks third in Lady Tiger program history.
“I think NCAAs last year gave me the confidence I was lacking for most of the season,” Lipsey said in a news release. “It’s one of those things where [assistant] Coach [Mark] Elliott has always believed in me, but I’m someone who likes to see it to really believe it. After having some success at the end of last season, I really wanted to work even harder in my training to carry that over to the start of this season.”
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team also automatically qualified with its 3:06.11 time despite coming in second to Arkansas in the event.
“As good as the performance was, there are things that can be improved on,” Shaver said. “It’s all a process, and each week we have to go back and train to get better and see more improvement.”
Sophomore Denise Hinton set the first school record of the season with her 66-1.5-foot throw in the weight toss, breaking former Lady Tiger Mallory McDonald’s nine-year-old record by just less than a foot. The Peachtree, Ga., native came in second in the event.
Hinton has surpassed her
previous personal bests in each of the past three events. She previously held the No. 22 best throw nationally, but with her efforts Saturday, Hinton jumped up to No. 10.
“I try to get after it every week. I have a better understanding now of what I need to do to improve myself week to week,” Hinton said in a news release. “That’s come with experience. [Assistant] Coach [Derek] Yush has really helped me find my throw and understand what it takes to compete at this level.”
LSU swept the 60-meter hurdles with senior Barrett Nugent and sophomore Jasmin Stowers taking the men’s and women’s titles, respectively.
Stowers posted the NCAA’s No. 3 time (8.13). Nugent had the No. 5 best time in the nation
during his semifinal run (7.76) and followed it up winning the finals by .03 with a 7.77 time.
“We know what we need to do to continue to improve,” Shaver said. “We’re going to approach this next meet much like we did for Arkansas with all of our athletes trying to meet their own personal goals.”
LSU will attempt to maintain their momentum when they travel to New York City on Feb. 3 and 4 for the New Balance Invitational.
 
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Contact Michael Gegnheimer at [email protected]