Thanks to a pair of outstanding performances at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend, the Tigers have taken over the No. 1 spot while the Lady Tigers have held their position at No. 2 in the latest power ranking released Thursday.

This marks the third time this outdoor season that the Tigers have held the top spot in the ranking as the squad moved up three spots from No. 4 where it stood prior to the conference meet.

The Lady Tigers held their position at No. 2 for the third week in a row after defending their SEC Outdoor title this past weekend. The LSU women have certainly been the class of the SEC in the past two seasons as they have won three of the four conference meets contested during that span, including a win at the SEC Indoor Championships back in March.

The Lady Tigers have swept SEC Indoor and Outdoor team championships for the first time since 1996, while they have now won back-to-back outdoor crowns for the first time since 1990-91.

The weekly power ranking released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association is based on the seasonal best performances of all collegiate athletes nationwide and their ranking on the NCAA men’s and women’s performance list.

The Tigers return to the top of the rankings due in large part to the heroics of senior Richard Thompson, who became the first SEC athlete since Arkansas great Tyson Gay in 2004 to sweep SEC sprint titles in the 100 and 200 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

Thompson staked his claim as the NCAA’s fastest man by setting a new SEC record in the 100-meter dash with a winning time of 9.93 seconds, which currently ranks No. 2 in the world behind only the time of 9.76 set by professional sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica back on May 3.

His new personal best time is also a mere one one-hundredth of a second off the collegiate record of 9.92 set by UCLA’s Ato Boldon at the NCAA Championships in 1996.

Thompson followed his performance in the 100 meters by winning the 200-meter title with a new personal best and the fastest time in the NCAA this season at 20.23, finishing ahead of the reigning NCAA indoor 200-meter champion Rubin Williams of Tennessee (20.41). Thompson is the first LSU athlete to pull off the impressive double since Byron Logan in 1998.

In addition, Trindon Holliday clocked the NCAA’s third-fastest time in the 100-meter dash at 10.05, while Elkana Kosgei (1:47.05) and Jamaal James (1:47.91) recorded the nation’s No. 2 and No. 8 times in the 800 meters, respectively. The men’s 4x100 relay also improved its NCAA best time to 38.67 in the final at the conference meet.

The Lady Tigers were led by junior hurdler Nickiesha Wilson, who won her first career SEC title in the 100-meter hurdles by equaling the nation’s fastest time at 12.81. She was joined by the nation’s seventh-ranked performer in the event as senior Jessica Ohanaja clocked a 13.02.

Senior Juanita Broaddus ran her first 100 of the outdoor season and clocked the No. 4 time in the NCAA at 11.17, while junior Kayann Thompson ran the nation’s No. 8 time in the 800 at 2:04.82.

The power ranking will be updated when the NCAA regional declarations are announced next Tuesday. The Tigers and Lady Tigers will return to action next weekend as they travel to John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark., on May 30-31 to compete in the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. The NCAA Outdoor Championships follow June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa.