A long day at the 95th Texas Relays was a productive one and well worth the time for the LSU track and field team Friday.
LSU picked up a pair of wins — one individual and one relay — and added a runner-up finish in the relays and a third-place individual finish while qualifying well for the meet’s final day Saturday.
For starters, the Tigers’ Shani’a Bellamy won the 400-meter hurdles in 55.96 seconds, which was a personal record for the transfer from Coastal Carolina.
The performance also moved Bellamy into eighth place on the school’s all-time list in the event.
Two-time NCAA 400 hurdles champion Sean Burrell was scheduled to run in the final, but did not start.
Later, LSU’s distance medley relay team of Cindy Bourdier, Garriel White, Michaela Rose and Lorena Rangel Batres won the title in 10 minutes, 59.86 seconds.
Coach Dennis Shaver’s men backed that up with a second-place effort in the DMR as Alex Selles, Ashton Hicks, Mats Swanson and Davis Bove clocked a 9:43.63.
Claudio Romero finished third in the men’s discus at 201 feet, 1 inch and Tzuriel Pedigo was fourth in the javelin with a best of 254-7.
LSU also qualified four individuals and three relays for finals that will be held Saturday on the final day of the three-day meet.
The Tigers got their day started on the track, where the men’s 4×100-meter relay team produced the fastest time of the preliminaries at 39.01 seconds.
The team of Brandon Hicklin, Dorian Camel, Da’Marcus Fleming and Godson Oghenebrume just edged their best this season of 39.02.
Just prior to their solid run, the women’s team of Alia Armstrong, Favour Ofili, Tionna Beard-Brown and Brianna Lyston won its heat in 44.31 seconds.
Later, LSU loaded up in the women’s 100-meter hurdles as the Tigers claimed three of the nine spots for the final.
Leah Phillips produced the third-fastest time in winning her heat with a wind-aided 12.99, Armstrong won her heat and had the fourth-fastest time at 13.04 and Bellamy’s 13.08 was seventh overall.
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