Same Athletes, Same Result For LSU At NCAAs

Winning both relays in the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships had only been done twice by men’s programs before 2003 at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

LSU became the third with a unique twist – both squads were made up of the same four athletes. In fact, it has only happened one other time in meet history: Florida State’s women did the same in 1983.

The Tiger men didn’t enter the NCAA meet favored in either relay, but by the time of the first final – Friday’s 4×100 – LSU had broken 39 seconds for the first time with a nation-leading 38.84 in the heats. That was just inches ahead of SEC champ Tennessee’s 38.85.

In the final, LSU again had their best race all year as the foursome of Kelly Willie, Robert Parham, Pete Coley and Bennie Brazell improved to 38.65. Brazell held off UT’s Jonathan Wade on the homestretch as the Volunteers also ran a seasonal best of 38.72.

As is just about normal in the NCAA meet, the concluding track event on Saturday provided four laps of excitement. LSU had won the NCAA Indoor 4×400 crown in March, but outdoors had yet to better their 3:04.79 indoor time and was actually just the final qualifier for this final.

Baylor had the fastest seasonal best of the finalists at 3:02.82, but the fashionable pick was Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were led by Adam Steele and Mitch Potter, who earlier in the afternoon finished a surprising 1-3 in the 400.

At the first exchange, Minnesota’s Steele (45.8) handed off just behind Texas, which had the fastest split at 45.7. Robert Parham (who owned a 20.44 PR in the 200) kept LSU close with a 46.4 split as all eight teams were in contention.

Minnesota got a strong second leg from Andy Wohlin (45.9) to take the lead as Baylor was now in second. LSU moved into third with a 45.9 split by Brazell, who had finished fourth in 400 hurdles the previous day after his anchor duties on the 4×100.

LSU took the lead on the third leg after a 45.1 split from Coley, who showed some of his form from 2002 when he ran 44.89 and was third in the NCAA 400. Minnesota remained in second just ahead of fast-moving Texas Tech after a storming 44.5 split from Julian Raeborn.

The anchor legs were fast with a thrilling homestretch battle between the Gophers’ Potter and the Tigers’ Willie, who was fifth earlier in the 400. Willie never relinquished the lead, splitting 44.6 to hold off the 44.5 of Potter.

The squads from LSU (first in 3:02.01) and Minnesota (second in a school-record 3:02.33) recorded their best-ever finishes in the event.

The Tigers would see additional NCAA scoring from Brazell and Willie. Brazell was second in the 400 hurdles in 2004 and 2005, while Willie was runner-up in the 400 in 2004 and 200 in 2006. Both were staples on both relay teams, including a 2:59.59 in 2005 that was the collegiate record for 13 years.

Brazell, who was also a wide receiver on LSU’s 2003 national-champion football team, is now in his 10^th year as an assistant coach on the Tiger track & field program.