LSU track and field senior sprinter Vernon Norwood was named the Men’s Division I National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and the Southeastern Conference Men’s Runner of the Week, the league offices announced Tuesday.
Competing in his first meet since winning the NCAA title at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 400-meter dash, Norwood raced out to a personal-best time of 44.44 seconds at the LSU Alumni Gold meet on Saturday. His time pits him as the No. 1 collegian in the 400-meter dash by nearly half a second, the ninth-fastest in-season collegiate runner in NCAA history and the sixth-fastest athlete in the world in April.
Norwood also led the 4×400-meter relay team to victory Saturday. He split 45.3 as the third leg, leading the Tigers’ to the third-fastest 4×400-meter relay time in the country with a time of 3:02.79. Also running for the Tigers’ 4×100-meter relay team, Norwood finished the day a perfect three-for-three as LSU crossed the line with a winning time of 39.11.