The LSU men’s and women’s track and field teams are missing some faces from last season, but athletes who have emerged this year have coach Dennis Shaver feeling confident.LSU will host the Purple Tiger Indoor Track and Field Classic to begin their indoor season today at 3 p.m.”This is a different-looking kind of team, but we have a lot of the same strengths,” Shaver said. “The men’s team will be tougher and very competitive with new additions.”One of those new additions to the No. 8 Tigers is North Carolina transfer Walter Henning. The sophomore will make his LSU debut in the weight throw event this weekend, and he said he is excited to be a part of the LSU track and field team. “The one thing I’m most excited about is to showcase what we’ve been doing here the past couple of months … and show the nation what kind of program we have down here,” Henning said. “Last year at North Carolina when I came in and saw the whole LSU team wearing the same stuff and this big crowd of people coming in wearing purple and gold, that really impressed me.”Shaver said Henning, who also participates in the hammer throw in the outdoor season, will be a valuable addition to the Tigers’ indoor arsenal.”He’s going to be a big complement to the team in the field events this year,” Shaver said. “Walter was third in the NCAA Championships in the 35-pound weight throw, so he’s got some experience and is going to help us a lot.”All-American senior sprinter Trindon Holliday will be back in action as well, and Shaver said he is considering adding the 200-meter dash to the sprinter’s 60-meter dash regimen.”Trindon’s role is huge,” Shaver said. “He would have been the NCAA champion in 60 meters and also the school record holder if [former LSU sprinter] Richard Thompson wouldn’t have beaten him. The 200 meters is something we’re going to take a good hard look at as the season progresses with him.”The Lady Tigers are the reigning outdoor national champions, and they come in ranked No. 2 in the coaches’ poll. Shaver said while the team lost much of its experience from last year, including sprinter Kelly Baptiste, the 2008 NCAA 100-meter dash champion, there are athletes to fill in the holes.—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]