The University of Arkansas men's team and the LSU women's team will enter the 2004 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships as the defending champions this week at Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas in Austin. After inclement weather canceled most of Wednesday's first day of action, the competition resumed Thursday and will continue through Saturday.

A total of 1,123 athletes qualified for the meet. Most of them advanced through regional competition, a format adopted by the NCAA last year. Athletes and fans were evacuated from the stadium three times on Wednesday due to lightning nearby and a constant heavy downpour that drenched the track surface.

A 43-point final day performance by the LSU women's track & field team brought head coach Pat Henry his 25th NCAA title last year in Sacramento as LSU defeated Texas by 14 points to complete the sweep of the women's 2003 NCAA indoor and outdoor track crowns. The Lady Tiger's NCAA Outdoor title marked their 13th in program history and the first since the 2000 season. LSU has won both the women's NCAA Indoor and Outdoor crowns during the same season nine times in the program's history, and after winning the 2004 NCAA Indoor title earlier this year, the Lady Tigers would have achieved the double for the 10th time with a team victory in Austin. They last accomplished the feat in 1997.

LSU finished with 64 points last year at Sacramento, followed by Texas with 50 and South Carolina with 47. Florida was fourth, followed by Nebraska and Indiana.

On the men's side, the Arkansas Razorbacks clinched their 10th team title at Sacramento -- its first since a string of eight straight championships ended in 1999 -- with Alistair Cragg's win in the 5,000m. Craig took the lead from Stanford's Louis Luchini with about 200 meters left and won by 10 meters. Arkansas' Cragg and teammate Dan Lincoln combined to account for 38 of the Razorback's 59 points.

Auburn was second last year with 50 points, Southern Cal third, followed by LSU and Nebraska.

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