LSU has won the most women’s track and field championships of any program in NCAA history — 25 total titles — thanks to decades of great athletes. With so much success, we created an all-time relay team of LSU women’s track and field greats.
Three relays are currently held at NCAA Championships — the 4x100 meter relay, the 4x400 meter relay and the Distance Medley Relay. But which one fits LSU for an all-time team the best?
LSU has never won a DMR and has won 13 4x4 titles to 16 4x1 titles. Individually, LSU has won only four indoor or outdoor 400 meter titles, a small number relative to the 30 individual titles in the other sprint events. In the hurdles, the Tigers have won just five 400 hurdle titles compared to 11 titles in the 55, 60 or 100 hurdles. The 4x1 is the choice for the Tigers.
That said, let’s get into the all-time team.
The LSU women's track and field all-time relay team
*The first DI women’s champion was crowned in 1982. This list looks at athletes since that season*
1. Mikiah Brisco
Picking the lead off runner for LSU’s all-time team was the hardest choice. However, Brisco will start things off thanks to her championship experience. Brisco won two NCAA 4x1 titles running leadoff in 2016 and 2018. Her start in the latter led the Tigers to a championship-record 42.09-second finish in the heats. That wasn’t even the fastest time Brisco led that season, as the collegiate record of 42.05 ran earlier that season stood atop the record books until 2023.
In 2017, the year in between LSU’s NCAA title-winning relays, Brisco won the 100 meter title, further showing off her top-end speed. That was also the year she led LSU’s relay team to its first collegiate record in the event since the next athlete on the all-time team was running.
🏆: Here are the DI track and field teams with most NCAA championships
2. Dawn Sowell
Dawn Sowell didn’t start her collegiate career at LSU, but once she arrived she lifted the lore of what would quickly become a dynasty. In Sowell's breakout year in 1989, LSU entered having already won three of the last four titles, after missing out on a sweep in 1988.
Yet Sowell ensured the Tigers would return to their title sweeping ways in 1989. She won the 55 and 200 meter titles indoors, ending a one-year break for LSU. She also anchored the indoor 4x4 team for the Tigers that won the title.
Then in the outdoor season, Sowell had arguably the most dominant women’s championship meet ever. She won the 100 and 200 titles by setting collegiate records in both, running 10.78 and 20.04, respectively. Those records stood for 30 and 28 years, but they weren’t the only records set by Sowell in 1989.
Sowell also set the 4x100 relay record at 42.50 seconds, running the second leg. That record stood for 21 years. Clearly, Sowell has the speed for the straightaway on LSU’s all-time team. All three records helped the Tigers to their third straight outdoor team title in 1989, ushering in a dynasty that would win 11 straight outdoor titles.
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3. Kimberlyn Duncan
The third leg of the 4x1 has to be a good curve runner, and LSU has a fantastic option in Kimberlyn Duncan. Duncan swept the 200 meter titles from 2011-2013. Duncan is one of the rare athletes to win a title in the same event across three consecutive seasons — but she did it across the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Duncan also ran the anchor leg on the title-winning 4x1 relays in 2011 and 2012. She helped lead the Tigers to the 2012 team title (later vacated). Duncan became the first Bowerman winner in LSU history after her impressive 2012, and putting one of the best 200 meter runners in NCAA history on the third leg continues an amazing Tiger relay squad.
THE BOWERMAN: Complete history of the track and field honor
4. Muna Lee
Muna Lee gets the nod as the anchor leg because she ran anchor on three NCAA title winning relays in 2001, 2003 and 2004. Lee also won four individual titles from 2002-04, taking the outdoor 200 crown in 2002, the indoor 200 title in 2003 and the 60 crown from 2003-2004. She also helped LSU to an indoor-outdoor title sweep in 2003.
Lee's experience running the anchor leg closes out a fast all-time relay team that can challenge any program across the NCAA.
🥇: Every indoor and outdoor track and field individual event champion
Notable Omissions
- Aleia Hobbs
- Astia Walker
- D’Andre Hill
- Lolo Jones
- Sha’Carri Richardson
- Tananjayln Stanley
- Zundra Feagin
The biggest name left off the all-time relay team is Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson won the 2019 Bowerman after setting the NCAA 100 meter record at 10.75 seconds — previously set by Sowell — en route to a title. It was a close call leaving Richardson off the list for every spot except the third leg, but Richardson just missed out because she doesn’t have the relay title that the others do.
Elsewhere, three members of the 1996 LSU 4x1 title-winning relay also miss out in Astia Walker (leadoff), Zundra Feagin (third leg) and D’Andre Hill (anchor). All three won multiple relay titles and at least one individual title in their career, but their accomplishments fall just short of making the list.
🏆: Arkansas sweeps 2023 indoor titles | Florida, Texas win 2023 outdoor titles | How the outdoor championships work
💥HISTORY: Programs with the most titles | Men's champ history | Women's champ history | Bowerman history
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons
🥇 Tokyo Olympians: Karel Tiga | JuVaughn Harrison | Cole Hocker | Camryn Rogers | Ruth Usoro | Athing Mu | Tara Davis | Tyra Gittens
