LSU track and field’s Jelani Watkins and Tima Godbless set times in the 60-meter dash, placing them in the program’s top 10 all-time.
The team’s sprint squad traveled to Albuquerque for the two-day New Mexico Collegiate Classic. The 16 chosen runners competed in events such as the 200-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash.
Watkins’ weekend began on the right track, going fastest in his 200-meter debut for a time of 20.85 seconds. His performance only improved from there as he set a personal best time of 6.61 seconds in the 60-meter dash semifinal.
In only his second meet for the Tigers, Watkins tied for seventh on LSU’s all-time top 10 in the sprint.
The dual-sport freshman is off to a promising start after arriving straight out of football season. The excitement from Watkins stems from his accolades in both sports before the collegiate level, including state titles in multiple track events.
He went from wide receiver to collegiate sprinter after his debut race at the Arkansas Invitational for a time of 6.69 in the 60-meter. In New Mexico, Watkins improved his time by 0.08 seconds and landed his first all-time performance for the Tigers.
On Friday, Godbless competed in the 200-meter dash and set a new personal record of 23.19 seconds to finish second in her heat and eighth overall.
Her record-breaking run came shortly after Watkins’, which timed 7.16 seconds and won her heat. She tied for ninth on the LSU all-time performance list.
Godbless returns as a sophomore after competing in three events at the 2024 Paris Olympics for her home country of Nigeria.
She’s best known for her role in last year’s outdoor season after finishing eighth in the nation in the 100 and 200-meter sprints and was a part of the second-place 4×100-meter relay team at the NCAA championships. She earned three First-Team All-American honors and was the first female to do so as a freshman since 2019 when Sha’Carri Richardson ran for the Tigers.
Godbless’ time from New Mexico marks her second top-10 all-time performance for LSU and her first on the indoor track.
Other top Tigers from the weekend include Ella Onojuvwevwo and her PR of 23.19 seconds in the 200-meter dash to place third, Jaiden Reid’s personal best 20.82-second time in the 200-meter and Matthew Sophia’s 7.69-second time in the 60-meter hurdles after climbing up to second after starting from lane eight.
Next up, LSU will split up for a busy weekend, with some athletes headed to Boston for the David Hemery Valentine Invitational and others back to Fayetteville for the Tyson Invitational. Both meets will begin on Friday, Feb. 14, and conclude on Saturday, Feb. 15.
