BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU placed 18 student-athletes on the 2012 Southeastern Conference First-Year Honor Roll Thursday as announced by the league office.The LSU track and field program headlined the list with five student-athletes represented, including pole vault standout Andreas Duplantis. Not only did Duplantis qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman, he also recently competed in the pole vault final at the World Junior Championships held in Barcelona, Spain.The 2011-12 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2011-12 academic calendar. Any student-athlete who participates in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a student-athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the Academic Honor Roll. Each student-athlete must 1) have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution; 2) be on scholarship or a letter winner; 3) have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial credit at the nominating institution; and 4) have been a member of the varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.  more