LSU Track & Field Ties Penn Record with Five Relay Titles

PHILADELPHIA -- LSU\'s track and field team left its mark on the Penn Relays record books, winning four more Championship of America relay titles in front of a lively crowd of 49,771 on the final day of competition from Franklin Field.


LSU added victories in the men\'s 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 and the women\'s 4x200 Saturday to its victory in the women\'s shuttle hurdle relay on Friday.


With five relay titles on the weekend, LSU became just the second program in the 112-year history of the relay carnival to record five relay victories, joining Villanova who has accomplished the feat four times, but not since the 1978 season.


\"I think it shows we are healthy and have nice depth,\" said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver on his team\'s five wins. \"We were able to do a lot of substituting and in a meet like this that becomes important.


\"More than anything though, I pleased that everyone on this team came into the weekend and accepted and took care of their roles and responsibilities. It\'s not easy to run in the prelims and then not be able to lineup in the finals. To me that\'s a sign of people that want to win and do what is best for the team and that is what is going to be important heading into the championship season.\"


LSU\'s winning ways kicked off with the men\'s 4x100 squad of Richard Thompson, Xavier Carter, Marvin Stevenson and Kelly Willie as they won the Tigers\' second straight and fourth overall Penn title in the event with a time of 39.22.


The win also kept the foursome undefeated in the short relay this season, as they ran their win total up to six-straight races.


LSU then went on to sweep the meet\'s 4x200-meter titles as the women\'s foursome of Sherry Fletcher, Kelly Baptiste, Deonna Lawrence and Brooklynn Morris captured the crown in 1:31.65 and the men\'s group of Melville Rogers, Carter, Marvin Stevenson and Willie followed that up with the victory in 1:21.31.


For the Lady Tigers it marked the 11th time, and fifth time in the last six years, they have won the meet\'s 4x200 title. For the men it was their fourth Penn title in the event and their first since the 1998 season.


The Tigers then capped off a sweep of the meet\'s sprint relay titles, handily winning the 4x400 crown with a time of 3:02.21 behind the efforts of Reggie Dardar, Rogers, Carter and Willie. The time, the sixth fastest in Penn history, also ranks as the fifth fastest all-time at LSU.


\"We went out and did what we needed to,\" said senior Kelly Willie, who ran the anchor leg on all three of the Tigers\' championship relays. \"I\'m just glad that as a senior I could step it up, be a leader and go out and help my team win.\"


With the three sprint relay victories the Tigers\' placed themselves amongst elite Penn Relays\' company, becoming just the fifth team in carnival history to win the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 in the same year. They join Pitt (1939), Manhattan (1952), Arizona State (1977) and TCU who was the last to accomplish the feat in 2000.


Outside of the relay events, LSU also had several notable individual performances.


Lady Tiger Kelly Baptiste turned in an exceptional effort in the 100-meters, fending off Texas\' Marshavet Hooker to capture her first individual Penn title with a personal best time of 11.10 seconds. The win helped avenge Baptiste\'s lone loss of the season in the event as she was defeated by Hooker earlier this year at the Texas Relays.


\"Marshavet has always lined up and won,\" said Shaver. \"So I think that win was big for Kelly, a real big move for her.\"


Baptiste\'s time, the fastest in the NCAA season, also moves her into seventh on the Lady Tigers\' all-time performance list. In addition, it tied her with former Miami standout Lauryn Williams for the meet record in the event as Williams, the current 100-meter world champion also ran 11.10 in 2004.


For her individual effort Baptiste was named the College Women\'s Athlete of the Meet for Individual Events.


Sophomore Richard Thompson also turned in a solid showing in the finals of the men\'s 100 meters. The Mount Hope, Trinidad, native placed third amongst the competitive field with a time of 10.57 seconds.


\"More than anything I am pleased with the athletes that elevated their performances in a big arena like this,\" said Shaver. \"I am not talking about the one\'s that are always in the spotlight, but Richard (Thompson) and Marvin (Stevenson) and the other guys that don\'t always get all the attention. Because later on if it comes down to us being in contention at the NCAA meet its those guys that are going to make the difference.\"


Up next, the LSU track and field team will take next weekend off as it prepares for the SEC Outdoor Championships, May 11-14, in Fayetteville, Ark.