Take one look at junior hurdler Barrett Nugent, and you probably wouldn’t think he’s a member of a talented LSU track team.
You probably also wouldn’t make the connection that he’s a four-time All American.
And it’s highly unlikely you would guess that his name is in the LSU track and field record books.
But what you see isn’t always what you get. The angular Nugent is one of the main reasons the Tigers were the nation’s No. 2 team when their season opened last Saturday.
Nugent comes into the season on the heels of an outstanding summer. In the 2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Nugent broke Eric Reid’s 23-year-old school record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.49 seconds, finishing as the national runner-up.
The Maurice, La., native zeroed in on the record throughout the season. But keeping with his unassuming appearance, Nugent remained humble when talking about his accomplishment.
“I always wondered what it would be like to run that fast, or even faster,” Nugent said. “Once I had that record, it was a surprise to everybody — to my family, to me and to my coaches. It was a very big record, and I was lucky to break it.”
Luck may not be the right word to describe his record-breaking run. Just two weeks after the national championships, Nugent broke his own record two more times on the way to a fifth-place finish at the 2010 USA Track and Field Championships.
After running a 13.48-second time in the semifinal round, Nugent shattered his new career best in the final with a wind-legal time of 13.35 seconds.
LSU coach Dennis Shaver thinks this season will be more of the same for Nugent, though he says his improvements will be measured in “small chunks” because of Nugent’s status as one of the nation’s best.
“He’s elevated his training, and from last year to this year his performances have improved significantly,” Shaver said. “We have great competitions lined up in the next four weeks, and that brings out the best in guys like Barrett.”
Shaver described Nugent’s focus as his greatest attribute, citing his ability to narrow in on each individual hurdle to run a fast time rather than concern himself with the finish line.
Though he has the three fastest 110-meter hurdle times in LSU history and figures to be in the running to be a national champion in the event this year, it hasn’t always been easy for Nugent.
After a highly decorated high school career where Nugent was a three-time state champion in three different events — the 100-meter dash, the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles — Nugent came to LSU seemingly ready to dominate.
But Nugent struggled during the indoor campaign of his freshman year, and ended the indoor season lying injured on the floor of the Randal Tyson Track Complex after tripping on the banked track and crashing into the wall at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
Though the end of his indoor season was a disappointment, Nugent began to grasp the lessons his coaches were doling out.
Nugent vastly improved at the end of his freshman year, setting the stage for his coming out party last year — and he isn’t satisfied with being merely an LSU record holder.
“They’re having the world championships this year, and I’d like to make the USA trials, hopefully to make the top three and advance to the world championship,” Nugent said. Then he added, almost as an afterthought, “I’d also like to finish first at NCAAs.”
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]