The Tigers and Lady Tigers backed up their top 10 preseason rankings Friday at the Purple Tiger Invitational with strong all-around performances.Sophomore weight thrower Walter Henning, a North Carolina transfer, set an LSU indoor record and a Carl Maddox Field House record on his NCAA automatic qualifying throw of 72 feet, 3 3/4 inches.
“We had a lot of personal bests in the meet,” said LSU track and field coach Dennis Shaver. “Of course the highlight to that would be Walter.”The Tigers swept the top three spots in the men’s weight throw with Henning in first, Rabun Fox (63 feet, 8 3/4 inches) in second and Michael Lauro (62 feet, 8 1/2 inches) third.
Junior sprinter Trindon Holliday led the Tigers in sprints with an NCAA championship provisional qualifying time of 6.66 in the 60-meter dash after running a 6.67 in the preliminary round.
Former Tiger and Olympian Richard Thompson, who holds the LSU record in the 60-meter dash and the 100-meter dash, was in attendance at the meet.”Coach Shaver is such a great coach that he will have [Holliday] in shape at the right time,” Thompson said.Former Lady Tiger Lolo Jones ran the 60-meter hurdles for the Tiger Olympians team at the meet, winning her event easily with a time of 8.07.Sophomore long jumper Zedric Thomas, who Shaver called the “most improved male athlete” of the fall, finished second in the men’s long jump with a jump of 24 feet, 10 inches.Senior Andrea Linton won the women’s long jump with a mark of 20 feet, 3 inches, and junior Katelyn Rodrigue won the pole vault with a clearance of 12 feet, 11 1/2 inches, both setting NCAA provisional qualifying marks.
 
 
 
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Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]