Senior sprinter Vernon Norwood displayed his speed numerous times during his LSU career and put his talents on display in an LSU uniform one last time at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday in Eugene, Oregon.
The Morgan City, Louisiana, native outran the competition in the 400-meter dash final to win the national championship, posting a time of 45.10 seconds. He returned to the track for the 4×400-meter relay final posting a 44.97-second split to help the Tigers claim gold in the event.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Vernon,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver. “He really ran inspired today. It’s not easy to run so many races in conditions like this where the wind is really blowing, but he got it done for us today.”
The four-time NCAA champion and nine-time All-American led the Tigers to a fourth-place finish. Norwood left Oregon with two national titles and three All-America honors in the last appearance of his LSU career.
Senior sprinter and hurdler Quincy Downing (400-meter hurdles), senior hurdler Joshua Thompson (110-meter hurdles), senior sprinter Aaron Ernest (200-meter dash) and sophomore sprinter Tremayne Acy (200-meter dash) earned All-American status for their performances.
Thompson, Norwood, Acy and Ernest also claimed bronze and All-American recognition in the 4×100-meter relay in the first final of Friday’s action.
The combined efforts on the men’s side saw the team claim 45 points to finish behind Arkansas (53), Florida (56) and Oregon (85).
“We really had a great meet,” Shaver said. “The men really stepped it up. I think the performances that we had at this meet were at a level that shows just how competitive this team is. We had a lot of personal bests and other outstanding performances today that led to a great finish for the team.”
On Saturday, it was the women’s turn to display their talents. The Lady Tigers claimed an 11th-place finish with the efforts of their underclassmen.
The Lady Tigers’ 4×100-meter relay team, formed by sophomore sprinter Rushell Harvey, freshman sprinter Aleia Hobbs, sophomore sprinter Jada Martin and freshman sprinter and hurdler Mikiah Brisco, sprinted to a fifth-place finish in the first race of the day.
Junior sprinter and hurdler Chanice Chase ran a personal-best in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.95 seconds to finish sixth, and freshman hurdler Daeshon Gordon clocked in nearly three-tenths of a second behind her teammate for eighth place.
Sophomore Nataliyah Friar finished in sixth place in the triple jump (13.32 meters). Hobbs added a sixth place finish in the 100-meter final and Martin earned eighth in the 200 meters.
Six Lady Tigers were honored as All-Americans at the conclusion of the four-day meet.
Following the championship meet, Shaver stressed the importance of his underclassmen continuing to improve over the offseason in preparation for the 2016 indoor and outdoor seasons.
“Our freshman and sophomore classes have progressed well in this season,” Shaver said. “Now that they’ve got that experience behind them, it’s important that they really focus themselves over the summer and next fall to take a big step forward when we come back in 2016.”
You can reach Jack Woods on Twitter @Jack_TDR.
(Left to right) Gymnastics coach D-D Breaux, volleyball coach Fran Flory, women’s golf coach Karen Bahnsen, soccer coach Brian Lee and track & field coach Dennis Shaver prepare to throw the first pitch of the first game in the new Tiger Park.
