LSU had three track and field athletes that were recognized Wednesday by the Southeastern Conference with JuVaughn Harrison, Terrance Laird and Tzuriel Pedigo sweeping three of the league’s top honors during the outdoor season.
Harrison was named the SEC’s Field Athlete of the Year, Laird captured the Track Athlete of the Year, and Pedigo the Newcomer Field Athlete of the Year.
Harrison won the SEC title in the high jump and placed second in the long jump at the conference championship meet in College Station, Texas where he set a meet record with a clearance of 7 feet, 8 3/4 inches – an effort that made him the second best performer in collegiate history. Harrison is 6-1 in outdoor competitions this season and has leaped to an outdoor PR of 27-8 1/4 in the long jump to become the sixth best jumper in collegiate history.
Laird garnered SEC high point scorer of the meet at the SEC championships after winning titles in the 100 meters (9.80w), 200 meters (19.82), and 4×100 meter relay (38.87). He has a career best of 19.81 seconds in the 200 at the Texas Relays in March to become the third fastest sprinter in collegiate history over the distance. His wind-legal time of 19.82 seconds broke Justin Gatlin’s SEC meet record of 19.86 that was run back in 2002. Laird has also shown promise in the 100 meters this year, and his wind-aided time of 9.80 at the SEC Championships currently leads the NCAA this year.
Pedigo shared the Newcomer Athlete of the Year award with Kentucky’s Joseph Palmer and Missouri’s Mitch Weber. The newcomer award is a specialized one that allowed freshman who did not get to compete during the 2020 outdoor season, because it was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic, to win awards this spring. Pedigo most recently tossed the javelin 246-5 at the NCAA East Preliminaries to advance to the NCAA championships.
Pedigo placed fourth at the SEC championships with a throw of 232-7, and his two event titles this season in the javelin came at the Crimson Tide Invitational and Louisiana Classics.
Harrison becomes the second straight LSU athlete to win the Field Athlete of the Year award outdoors as Mondo Duplantis (2019), Damar Forbes (2013) and John Moffitt (2004) have also won the field athlete of the year awards. For the track award, Laird becomes the fourth LSU athlete to win it joining the likes of Xavier Carter (2006), Richard Thompson (2008), and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (2016).
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