EUGENE, Oregon – Despite inclement weather LSU’s Alia Armstrong still brought home her first NCAA Outdoor Championship with a first place in the 100-meter hurdles at Oregon’s Hayward Field.
Armstrong was strong out of the starter’s blocks and never looked back in winning her race in 12.57 seconds, becoming the first LSU runner to win that race since Joyce Bates (12.85) in 2000.
“Surprisingly this was my first time ever running in the rain,” Armstrong mentioned after her win. “Honestly I just locked in and got the job done. I knew everybody was running in the same conditions as me. This (win) means the absolute world to me. I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a baby. The fact that I made it and made my mom proud, that’s all that matters.”
Armstrong was LSU’s lone national champion for a team that finished with 39 points and fourth in the team competition. The Southeastern Conference was well represented with Florida (74) winning the overall team title, followed by future member Texas (64) and Kentucky (50).
Favour Ofili was LSU’s highest point scorer with 13.25 of LSU’s 39 team points. Individually, Ofili took second in the 200 (22.05) and fifth in the 100 (11.17).
The women’s 4×100 relay began the day fourth in the event. The quartet of Armstrong, Ofili, Tionna Beard-Brown, and Thelma Davies finished with a 42.62 seconds for five points.
In the women’s high jump, Nyagoa Bayak cleared a bar of 6 feet and earned a three-way tie for sixth. The final scorer for the Tigers was Katy-Ann McDonald, who was eighth in the 800 meters (2:03.57).
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