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Updated: April 19, 2007, (CT)
by www.LSUsports.net |
| LSU Track & Field Class of 2007 |
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Brittani Carter |
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Kemar Clarke (Photo by armorytrack.com) |
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Ebony Collins (Photo by trackshark.com) |
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Brittany Hall (left) (Photo by Gwinnett Daily Post) |
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Rashaud Johnston (Photo by trackshark.com) |
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Tenaya Jones |
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Zedric Thomas (Photo by armorytrack.com) |
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Kayann Thompson (Photo by Lindenwood University) |
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Chris Ward (Photo by FLRunner.com) |
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Kenyanna Wilson {Photo by azcentral.com) |
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Chris Bujol (image unavailable) |
Hurdler Ebony Collins and middle distance runner Kayann Thompson will continue their careers as members of the women’s squad, while multi-event athlete Chris Bujol, hurdler Kemar Clarke, sprinter Rashaud Johnston and jumper Zedric Thomas will compete for the men’s team.
“We’ve really filled the needs in different event areas with the athletes we’ve signed both in the fall and the spring,” Shaver said. “It’s not just the fact that we’ve been able to add to both teams, but the quality of athlete that is joining us is tremendous. We’re looking forward to each of them continuing their careers at LSU.”
Collins is one of the most prolific 400-meter hurdlers in the history of high school track and field as she was named the 2005 USA Track and Field Youth Athlete of the Year after winning a gold medal in the event in record fashion at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Morocco.
The Los Angeles native set a meet record with a time of 55.96 seconds in her gold-medal winning performance, while she also won a silver medal in the 100 meters in a time of 11.44. Her personal best in the 400 hurdles ranks No. 3 all-time among high school girls in the United States.
Collins has also been named USATF Athlete of the Week twice as she has won three gold medals and one bronze medal at the USATF Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In addition, she is a three-time gold medalist at the USATF Junior Olympics as she also set the meet record in the 400 hurdles in 2006 with a time of 57.78.
“Ebony has some tremendous credentials, but the characteristic she has that I like is her fierce competitiveness,” Shaver said. “She knows how to line up and get ready to perform at her best when it counts the most. She is an athlete you can count on in the championship meets, and she’s capable of contributing to our goal of winning a national title in her first season at LSU.”
Thompson, who comes to LSU from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., is one of the premier young 800-meter runners in the world as she was the first Jamaican to medal in the event at the IAAF World Junior Championships by winning bronze in Grosseto, Italy, in 2004.
Thompson has enjoyed further success on the international stage as she was the silver medalist at the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships while also winning a pair of silver medals at the Carifta Games in 2002 and 2003. The Carifta Games is an annual junior competition for members of the Caribbean Community.
She is also the Jamaican national junior record holder in the 800 meters after clocking a time of 2 minutes, 2.64 seconds to take top honors at the Jamaican National Junior Championships in 2005. Thompson’s personal best time would have placed second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2006.
“Kayann is a tremendous talent who has also had great success at the highest levels,” Shaver said. “She’s one of the best young 800-meter runners in the world, and we look forward to putting her in with LaTavia (Thomas) next season. That’s an event area where we will continue to be strong.”
Bujol is a multi-event prospect that comes to LSU from nearby St. John of Plaquemine where he has competed in the high jump, long jump and triple jump during his high school career, as well as the school’s relay teams. Bujol capped a successful indoor season earlier this year by finishing runner-up in the high jump at the Division II Indoor State Championships.
“Anybody who has seen Chris compete knows he is a talented athlete,” Shaver said. “I think he’s somebody that will be competing at the NCAA track meet by the time he’s a senior if not before, and I’m excited to add someone of his caliber from right here in the state of Louisiana.”
Clarke, a product of South Shore High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., is the reigning indoor national champion in the 60-meter hurdles as he clocked a 7.88 at the Armory Track and Field Center to take top honors at the 2007 National Scholastic Indoor Championships in March.
Clarke, who will compete in both the 60 hurdles and 110 hurdles during his career at LSU, finished the indoor season with the fifth-fastest time in the nation in the 60-meter hurdles as he set the state indoor record with his personal best time of 7.84.
“We’re really excited to add Kemar to our men’s team because he comes from South Shore High School where team is very important,” Shaver said. “That’s an important ingredient which can be hard to teach at times. He’s a great talent and is a young man who knows what it means to be a part of a team, and that’s very important for our future success.”
Johnston has elected to transfer to LSU from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley where he is a three-time All-American and one of the premier 400-meter runners in the National Junior College Athletic Association with a personal best of 46.09 in the event.
The St. Louis, Mo., native was the national runner-up in the 400 meters and a member of the school’s All-American 4x400-meter relay team at the 2006 NJCAA Indoor Championships, while he also earned individual All-America honors in the open 400 after posting a 46.57 at the NJCAA Outdoor Championships last season.
“Rashaud is probably the very best junior college 400 runner available to pick up right now in the country,” Shaver said. “We’re excited about him joining our men’s team. With the men, it was important for us to add some experience mixed in with some youth, and that’s what we’ve done by signing an athlete like Rashaud.”
The Tigers have added the services of yet another indoor national champion as Thomas won the boy’s triple jump title at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships in March with a jump of 49 feet, ¼ inches at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York.
Thomas, a product of New Iberia High School in New Iberia, La., is the reigning indoor state champion in both the long jump (23-9) and triple jump (49-8) as he recorded a seasonal best and the third-best jump in the country in the triple jump at the Division I Indoor State Championships at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse earlier this year.
Thomas is also the defending Class 5A outdoor state champion in the triple jump after leaping 49-4 ¼ at the state meet a year ago, while he boasts an overall personal best in the event of 50-1.
“Zedric was already competing at a very high level, but he really stepped it up a lot this year,” Shaver said. “He’s a quality jumper with a nice, strong build, so he’s going to be able to hold up at the college level competing in both the long jump and triple jump. He can make an immediate impact and add depth to our men’s team as soon as he steps on campus.”
The Lady Tigers have now added the services of six athletes for the 2008 season as sprinter Kenyanna Wilson of Peoria, Ariz., hurdler Tenaya Jones of Lancaster, Texas, middle distance runner Brittany Hall of Lithonia, Ga., and high jumper Brittani Carter of Missouri City, Texas all signed in November.
The Tigers have added five premier athletes of their own in the Class of 2007 as they signed standout 400-meter runner Chris Ward of Kissimmee, Fla., in November in addition to the four who have inked with the squad this week.
Wilson was named an American Track and Field Second-Team All-American in 2006 after participating in the IAAF World Junior Championships as a member of Team USA’s 4x100-meter relay pool. She comes to LSU with a personal best time of 11.37 in the 100 meters.
Hall is one of the premier 800-meter runners in the nation and a former national record holder in the event after clocking a 2:08.47 to capture the USATF Junior Olympic title in Indianapolis, Ind., in July 2005. Her time of 2:08.58 ranked No. 5 among all high school performers last year.
Carter was also named an American Track and Field Second-Team All-American in 2006 after posting one of the nation’s Top 10 marks with a personal record of 5 feet, 10 inches in the high jump. She was also recognized for her outstanding performance last season by USA Today.
Jones comes to LSU as one of the premier 100-meter hurdlers in the country as she led Lancaster High School to a state championship a year ago, while adding individual state titles in the 100 hurdles, 4x100 relay and 4x200 relay. Her personal best time of 13.65 in the 100 hurdles ranked among the nation’s Top 10 last spring.
Ward signed with the Tigers during the early signing period after an outstanding high school career that saw him clock the second-fastest 400-meter time at the 2006 USATF Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a 46.97. He is currently the nation’s third-ranked performer in the event this season with a seasonal best time of 46.81.
