LSU women’s track and field takes third at the SEC Indoor Championships

The LSU track and field team closed out the weekend with the women’s team taking third overall at the SEC Indoor Championships, hosted by Arkansas at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.

The women’s team made a huge push on day two of the meet as they sprung from 10^th place on day one with seven points to third place on day two with 68.5 total point. The Tigers finished lasy tear’s SEC Indoor in eight place and a score of 47 points. Michaela Rose led the Tigers in scoring with a total of 11 points in two events (800m, 4×400).

Sophomore Brianna Lyston was the first Tiger to earn an SEC title this week, claiming the women’s 60-meter final with a meet-record time of 7.08 seconds. The 60m title claimed on Saturday marks the first of her young career after missing a good portion of the indoor and outdoor seasons last year.

She still holds a personal-best and nation-leading time of 7.07 seconds from earlier this season on the same track she ran on this weekend, which qualifiers her for the NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks.

Gold looks good on you @brianna_lyss! 🏆

Lyston won her first SEC title in the 60-meter final with a meet record time of 7.08 seconds! pic.twitter.com/Mk3Vw0kz60

— LSU Track & Field (@LSUTrackField) February 24, 2024

This week’s meet marked another outing of Rose running against time as she earned her third 800-meter SEC title since last year’s indoor season. At last year’s meet the Suffolk, Va., native clocked a time of 2:01.09, seeing her time cut down to 1:59.25 in Saturday’s win. Her new personal-best time rewrites her indoor record and previous No. 2 time in collegiate history of 1:59.49 that she ran in her lone 800m race entering the weekend.

The Bowerman Watch List member has now ran two of the four-lone times in indoor history under two-minutes for the women’s 800m in just this season. She also holds the 600-yard collegiate record from the Corky Classic earlier this year.

SEC title No. 3 for the best in the country with the No. 2 time in collegiate history?!? 🥇

Michaela Rose is on her own level.

⏱️ 1:59.25#GeauxTigers | 💻 SEC Network+ pic.twitter.com/htIciXhE3n

— LSU Track & Field (@LSUTrackField) February 24, 2024

In her very first SEC meet, freshman Taylor Fingers earned a silver medal in the women’s triple jump. Her medal-worthy finish saw Fingers jump out to a new collegiate PR of 13.07 meters (42’ 10.75”) on her second attempt of the day. The distance of 13.07 sits just .01 away from No. 10 on the LSU all-time performance list.

The women’s 60-meter hurdle duo of Alia Armstrong and Leah Phillips got out fast and were able to secure silver and bronze respectively. Armstrong closed out her meet with a time of 7.96 seconds for silver. Phillips clocked a time of 8.03 seconds to earn her very first SEC medal.

Saturday marked the second time Lorena Rangel-Batres has earned a silver medal at an SEC-Championship meet. The San Luis Potosí, Mexico, native finished second in the mile final after clocking a time of 4:39.51, scoring eight points for the Tigers.

The men’s team was in ninth place after day one with a total of 11.5 points, their day two push put them in eighth with a team total of 32.5 points. Myles Thomas led the Tigers in scoring with a total of six points in one event (60m).

Thomas made his SEC Championship debut this week and did not disappoint. The transfer was the lone member of the men’s team to earn a medal after clocking a time of 6.64 seconds in the 60m to score six points for the Tigers.

Additional Day Two Scorers
John Meyer | Shot Put | 4^th place | 5 points
Jahiem Stern | 60mh | 4^th place | 5 points
Men’s 4×400 | 4^th place | 5 points
Women’s 4×400 | 5^th place | 4 points
Praise Djoma | Triple Jump | 6^th place | 3 points
Thelma Davies | 200m | 7^th place | 2 points
Morgan Smalls | High Jump | T-7^th place | 1.5 points
Callie Hardy | One Mile | 8^th place | 1 point

Personal Bests
Sophie Martin ran a PR of 9:49.39 in the 3000m, which ranks 10th in LSU PL history.
Taylor Fingers jumped a PR of 42’ 10.75” in triple jump.
Praise Djoma jumped a PR of 40’ 7” in triple jump.

Up Next
LSU will have a week off before heading to Boston for the NCAA Indoor Championships hosted at the Track at New Balance March 8-9.