Former Lady Tiger hurdler Lolo Jones stopped by LSU Tuesday to talk to some of her old teammates before the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend. “It seems like yesterday I was in the same situation, and we were trying to win a national championship,” Jones said. Jones, who recently won her first world championship in the 60-meter hurdles, said she wants to see some “amazing, impressive things” happen this weekend. “I want some school records to go down,” Jones said. “I know some of them already have.” On the other hand, the current LSU track and field athletes only have one goal in mind. “We want to come out with a victory,” senior hurdler Jessica Ohanaja said. Both the men’s and women’s teams will send a combined 18 athletes and two relay teams to the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Senior sprinter Richard Thompson said the teams are feeling confident going into the national championships. “We’ve prepared for it, so there’s no need to be nervous,” Thompson said. “We’re going in there with the intention to come in nothing but first.” LSU carries strong momentum into this weekend after racking up nine event champions at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships two weeks ago. The Lady Tigers won the overall title while the men finished second. Both teams expect to score big in the 60-meter dash this weekend with several competitors in the event, including two conference champions in Thompson and senior Kelly-Ann Baptiste. Baptiste won the SEC title in the 60-meter dash with an NCAA-leading time of 7.13 seconds. She was recently named SEC Female Runner of the Year. Senior Juanita Broaddus and sophomore Samantha Henry, who finished second and third at the SEC Indoor Championships, join Baptiste in the 60-meter dash. Henry’s seasonal best of 7.18 seconds is the second-fastest time in the NCAA this season. Thompson and junior Trindon Holliday lead a one-two punch on the men’s side that finished first and second respectively in the 60-meter dash two weekends ago. Thompson won the title in 6.59 seconds while Holliday finished in 6.62 seconds. Sophomore John Kosgei is among the national favorites in the distance events after shining at the SEC Indoor Championships. Kosgei won the 3,000-meter race, the mile race and was awarded the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy, given to the top male individual scorer. Kosgei became the first athlete in LSU history to win the SEC 3,000-meter race championship and the second LSU athlete ever to run the mile in less than four mintues. Kosgei, like Baptiste, was recently named SEC Male Runner of the Year. Junior jumper Andrea Linton gives the Lady Tigers their best chance to score in the field events after winning the SEC triple jump championship. Linton, who is ranked fifth in the NCAA in the event, won the conference title with a jump of 44 feet, 6-1/4 inches. The main contenders for the men’s title include SEC foes Tennessee and Arkansas, as well as Florida State, Texas and Stanford, The No. 1 women’s team will face their toughest challenges from Arizona State, Michigan, Stanford, Kansas and Tennessee. “It’s gonna be an exciting championship from a fan standpoint,” LSU coach Dennis Shaver said. “The team scores are going to be extremely close on both sides.”
Track teams ready for national championships
March 13, 2008