LSU track and field athletes Malachi Austin and Princesse Hyman were recognized with their first career-conference honors of the season by the Southeastern Conference on March 24.
The recognition highlights notable performances from both athletes at the start of the collegiate outdoor season. Such awards underscore individual achievements in NCAA athletics, drawing attention to emerging talent within LSU’s program.
Freshman Malachi Austin recorded a time of 45.37 seconds in the 400 meter during his first outdoor collegiate meet, which stands as the fastest time in both the country and conference so far this year. This performance also ranks as the fifth-fastest under-20 (U20) 400 meter time worldwide for 2026. Austin improved his personal best by nearly a full second, broke the South American U20 record, and finished just twelve milliseconds shy of matching both South American and Guyanese records.
Sophomore Princesse Hyman opened her outdoor season by setting a new LSU discus record with a throw of 59.90 meters (196-6), surpassing Danyel Mitchell’s previous mark set in 1994. Her distance currently leads all NCAA competitors early in the season, would have placed her ninth nationally at last year’s end-of-year rankings, and ranks her eleventh globally after just one meet.
Both athletes’ achievements contribute to LSU’s reputation for developing top-tier collegiate track and field talent.
