Lady Tigers Win Program’s 53rd SEC Track & Field Championship Title

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 1 nationally ranked LSU Women’s Track & Field team secured the program’s 53rd-team title on Saturday night at the 2024 SEC Outdoor Championships after tallying a point total of 126.

For the first time since 2012 the Lady Tigers won an SEC-team title, doing so with a dominating performance in almost every aspect of the sport. The newest addition to the trophy room marks the 26th SEC title for the women’s program. A total of 14 Lady Tigers contributed to the win, including a team-high 16.5 points from sophomore Brianna Lyston.

Entering the third and final day of the Championships, the LSU women sat in 10th with a total of 11 points from field events the days prior.

The day started with the women’s 4×100-meter relay team collecting bronze with a new lineup. Saturday’s new order of Lyston, Thelma Davies, Leah Phillips and Tima Godbless clocked a season-best time of 42.49 seconds to add six points to the board. The team’s new SB puts them at No. 4 on the all-time LSU performance list, making this their fastest lineup since the loaded 2019 team.

Senior Lorena Rangel Batres was up to bat next as she started off a very difficult 800-meter/1500-meter double with the 1500m. She posted a strong time of 4:12.78 to finish with silver, posing a threat for gold in the final 200 meters of the race. The San Luis Potosí, Mexico, native went on to finish fifth overall int the 800m with a time of 2:03.36. In total, Rangel Batres tallied 12 crucial points for the Tigers.

The women’s hurdle squad went to work this week and did not disappoint a soul. In the women’s 100-meter hurdles, the Tigers racked up a total of 19 points with Shani’a Bellamy leading a 2-3-4 finish for LSU with a time of 12.81 seconds (+0.8 m/s). Bellamy was not done as she also led the charge for the women’s 400-meter hurdles with her time of 56.40 in third. The Tigers finished 2-5-6 in the event an earned 13-combined points in the 400mh.

After putting up an impressive time in the women’s 4×100, the sprinters came back for more later in the day. Lyston earned her second gold SEC medal of the year after clocking a PR of 10.91 seconds (+0.3 m/s) to lead a 1-3-5 finish in the women’s 100 meter. Davies finished third with her new PR of 11.01 seconds, while Godbless finished fifth with her new PR of 11.14 seconds. The women’s 100 meter was the highest point-scoring event for LSU as they totaled 20 of their 126 in that event alone. Lyston’s time of 10.91 moved her up to No. 4 on the all-time LSU performance list, while Davies’ time of 11.01 puts her at No. 9 on the list.

Davies and Lyston were not finished as they came back for more in the women’s 200 meter. As a duo they scored 11 points in the 200m together as they placed third and fourth. Davies tied Sha’Carri Richardson’s No. 3 time in the LSU PL of 22.17 seconds, while Lyston finished the final with a time of 22.37 seconds.

For the fourth SEC Championship in-a-row, Michaela Rose found herself standing on the podium with another gold medal around her neck. The Suffolk, Va., native clocked her second sub-1:59 800-meter time of her career with 1:58.89, which was a meet and facility record. After earning the team 10 points in the 800m, Rose went on to clock a split of 50.81 seconds in the 4×400-meter relay to help the team add four more points to the board.

LSU Women’s Point Scorers – Team total: 126 points
Brianna Lyston – 100m, 200m, 4x100m – 16.5 points
Shani’a Bellamy – 100mh, 400mh, 4×400 – 15 points
Thelma Davies – 100m, 200m, 4x100m – 13.5 points
Morgan Smalls – HJ, TJ, LJ – 13 points
Lorena Rangel Batres – 800m, 1500m – 12 points
Michaela Rose – 800m, 4×400 – 11 points
Leah Phillips – 100mh, 400mh, 4×100 – 10.5 points
Estel Valeanu – DT – 6 points
Trinity Spooner – JT – 6 points
Tima Godbless – 100m, 4x100m – 5.5 points
Garriel White – 400mh, 4×400 – 5 points
Taylor Fingers – TJ – 4 points
Ella Onojuvwevwo – 400m, 4×400 – 2 points
Callie Hardy – 3000s – 1 point

Final Women’s Top-Five Team Scores
1 – LSU – 126 points
2 – Arkansas – 110 points
3 – Florida – 101 points
4 – Texas A&M – 74 points
5 – Georgia – 72 points

The men’s team had a couple stellar performances on Saturday as they finished the weekend in fifth as team with a score of 66.5 points. Leading the way for LSU was none other than Godson Oghenebrume and his individual-point total of 12.5.

Oghenebrume won his second 100-meter SEC title in-a-row, this time claiming victory with a season-best 9.99 seconds (+0.6 m/s). The Ughelli, Nigeria, native led the way for Myles Thomas to finish not far behind in 4th with his new PR of 10.04 seconds. Thomas moved up to No. 6 on the all-time LSU PL with his time of 10.04. The 100m duo tallied 15 points together in the event.

Earlier in the day the two previously mentioned sprinters helped the men’s 4×100-meter relay team to their seventh-event title in the last eight seasons. The team of Thomas, Da’Marcus Fleming, Jaiden Reid and Oghenebrume clocked a new nation-leading time of 38.19 seconds to add 10 more points to the board. They now sit at No. 2 on the LSU PL behind last year’s collegiate-record setting team that claimed SEC and NCAA gold.

The day started with the best discus thrower in the nation and in LSU history doing what he does best: throwing a disc farther than everyone else. Claudio Romero earned his first SEC-gold medal in his final SEC Championship meet to score 10 points for the Tigers. Romero earned the win with his fifth attempt of the day, reaching a distance of 63.02 meters (206’ 9”).

LSU Men’s Point Scorers – Team total: 66.5 points
Godson Oghenebrume – 100m, 4×100 – 12.5 points
Claudio Romero – DT – 10 points
Kuda Chadenga – HJ – 8 points
Myles Thomas – 100m, 4×100 – 7.5 points
Will Lawrence – JT – 6 points
Da’Marcus Fleming – 200m, 4×100 – 4.5 points
Jahiem Stern – 110mh – 4 points
Jaiden Reid – 4×100 – 2.5 points
Sean Burrell – 400mh, 4×400 – 2 points
Beau Domingue – PV – 2 points
Jevan Parara – DT – 1 point
Dillon Bedell – 4×400 – 1 point
Shakeem McKay – 4×400 – 1 point
Salim Epps – 4×400 – 1 point

Final Men’s Top-Five Team Scores
1 – Arkansas – 110 points
2 – Alabama – 104 points
3 – Texas A&M – 103.5 points
4 – Florida – 100 points
5 – LSU – 66.5 points

(Release via LSU Athletics)

Results

Loading Twitter Embed....