Thirty-three LSU track and field team members – the most of any team in the country – will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, starting Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers come into the championships on the heels of a powerful showing in the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds last week, and the women’s team holds a No. 1 spot in the power rankings, while the men’s team climbed to No. 2.
Multiple athletes broke personal records in the qualifying events, including senior Riker Hylton, who ran a season-best 400-meter race in a 45.89 seconds, senior Ade Alleyne-Forte’s personal-best 400-meter time of 46.22 seconds and senior Jonique Day’s blazing 52.11-second sprint in the 400 to qualify for his first championship appearance in the event.
But LSU track and field coach Dennis Shaver said victory in Des Moines depends more on strategy than great personal performance. With every semifinalist given the opportunity to score at least 1 point for the team in each competition, Shaver said LSU athletes need to place in any event they compete – even if it’s not their best.
“When you’re in these championship meets, you’re not trying to run personal or seasonal bests, you’re really running to score points for the team and place,” Shaver explained. “At the end, it’s going to be those 1 and 2-point seventh and eighth places that are really going to put us in a position to win a team championship.”
The first two days in Des Moines will primarily be qualifying semifinal events, with the medal rounds following on Friday and Saturday.
Shaver said athletes competing in multiple events will influence LSU’s chances the most. Lady Tigers senior Rebecca Alexander, who is favored to win the 400 meters, will also run a critical leg in the 4×400-meter relay and 4×100-meter relays. “She’s the one that’s going into the meet with what you might say is the biggest workload,” Shaver said. “To me, she is the most critical person because of all of the different events she’s actually involved in.”
Shaver said No.1-ranked Texas A&M offers steep competition for the men’s team, but multiple schools have athletes capable of seizing the championship from the Tigers or Aggies. On the women’s side, Oregon and Kansas, along with the rival A&M squad, should challenge a dominant Lady Tigers unit.
“I think if they go in and do close to what they’ve done to get there, we’ll have a great meet,” Shaver said.
The final day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship will air on ESPNU on Saturday.
 
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