BATON ROUGE – The LSU Track & Field program held its fifth-annual Team Awards and Alumni Recognition Banquet on Friday night at the Carl Maddox Field House in which 18 student-athletes received awards for their performance in competition, in the classroom and in the community during the 2013-14 athletic season.
The LSU Track & Field Team Awards and Alumni Recognition Banquet has been established to not only recognize the current members of the program for their performance in the past year, but also honor the alumni who have laid the foundation of success still enjoyed by the program today.
Athletes, coaches, administrators, family and alumni were in attendance in celebration of the great history and tradition of the nation’s premier combined program in collegiate track and field.
Awards were presented to current and former members of the team for their outstanding performance during the 2013 outdoor, 2013 cross country, 2014 indoor and 2014 outdoor seasons while leading the Tigers and Lady Tigers in all aspects of the program.
Highlighting the festivities was the celebration of LSU’s historic national championship sweeps during the 1989 outdoor season and 2004 indoor season as they became the first collegiate program to sweep NCAA team championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons. The program celebrated the 25th anniversary of LSU’s title sweep at the 1989 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Provo, Utah, and the 10th anniversary of their team sweep at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships held in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
“This is an event we look forward to hosting each year as we get to celebrate those athletes who have helped build the program we get to enjoy today,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “Tonight’s banquet is even more special for our program as we were able to welcome back so many from those athletes from the 1989 and 2004 teams that hold such a special place in the history of college track and field. To be the first teams to sweep indoor and outdoor national championships is something we’re all very proud of.
“This was also a special night for our program as we honored those Tigers and Lady Tigers of today who have made their mark on the program over the past year. Those who took home awards are deserving of such an honor as the leaders of our program today. We’re already preparing for 2015, and look forward to seeing who steps up to lead the program over the next year.”
The awards portion of the banquet proceeding was capped by senior Jasmin Stowers and junior Vernon Norwood in taking home the Most Outstanding Performer of the Year awards for 2013-14.
Stowers was named the winner of the Most Outstanding Female Performer of the Year award for the first time in her career after Lady Tiger great Kimberlyn Duncan won the award three-straight times from 2011-13.
Stowers, who graduated from LSU in May 2014 with her degree in nutrition and food science, ended her collegiate career in 2014 as one of the LSU’s most decorated sprint hurdlers as the NCAA Indoor bronze medalist in the 60-meter hurdles and NCAA Outdoor silver medalist in the 100-meter hurdles this past season. She set LSU’s indoor school record with a career-best time of 7.96 seconds to win her second-straight NCAA bronze medal in the 60 hurdles and clocked the fastest all conditions time in program history with a wind-aided 12.54 to score the NCAA silver medal in the 100 hurdles in 2014.
After setting LSU’s indoor school record at 7.96 in the 60 hurdles, Stowers came up just one one-hundredth of a second short of Tananjalyn Stanley’s 25-year-old school record of 12.70 in the 100 hurdles by running her personal-best time of 12.71 in the preliminary round at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships held this summer in Sacramento, California.
Stowers wrapped up her collegiate career as a seven-time All-American in an LSU uniform, while also being crowned a five-time SEC Champion in the sprint hurdles and claiming seven All-SEC honors from 2011-14.
Not only was Stowers named the Most Outstanding Female Performer of the Year during this year’s banquet, but she also claimed three other awards on the night with the Most Outstanding Track Athlete Award and sharing the Academic/Athletic Accomplishment Award with Denise Hinton and the L Club Captain Award with Lynnika Pitts.
Norwood was presented The Glenn “Slats” Hardin Award honoring the Most Outstanding Male Performer of the Year as one of the NCAA’s elite 400-meter runners during the 2014 indoor and outdoor seasons.
The Glenn “Slats” Hardin Award is named in honor of the greatest track and field athlete to ever compete for the LSU program. Hardin was a four-time NCAA champion and six-time All-American during his brilliant career at LSU from 1933-35. Hardin was a member of LSU’s first national championship team in 1933, where he captured individual titles in the 440-yard dash and 220-yard low hurdles.
Hardin is a true American track and field legend as he was the world’s premier 400-meter hurdler in the first half of the 20th century. He set the world record in the event three times during his career with his best time of 50.6 seconds standing as the world record for 19 years from 1934-53.
After winning a silver medal in the 400 hurdles at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif., Hardin won the gold medal at the infamous 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. He remains the only LSU Track & Field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event.
Norwood is a deserving recipient of The Glenn “Slats” Hardin Award for the 2013-14 athletic season as a four-time All-American and a four-time All-SEC performer in his debut season with the Tigers in 2014.
After winning All-America honors as the NCAA Indoor silver medalist in the 400-meter dash, Norwood anchored the Tigers to a national championship in the 4×400-meter relay as they captured the NCAA Indoor crown with a winning time of 3 minutes, 4.54 seconds with Norwood anchoring with a 44.52-second split in the national final.
Norwood followed outdoors by winning a pair of NCAA bronze medals in the 400 meters and 4×400-meter relay in his debut at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. A four-time All-SEC performer in his first season with the Tigers, Norwood set personal bests of 45.39 indoors and 45.02 outdoors as one of the emerging 400-meter talents in the United States.
In addition to his selection as the winner of The Glenn “Slats” Hardin Award at this year’s banquet, Norwood took home two other awards as he joined Stowers in winning the Most Outstanding Track Athlete Award as well as the Newcomer of the Year Award for the men’s team.
Award Winners at the LSU Track & Field Team Awards and Alumni Recognition Banquet
Note: Awards listed in order received
Newcomer of the Year Award
Criteria: NCAA and/or SEC scorer; Individual who made great impact on team performance; Demonstrated performance improvement throughout the year, particularly the championship meets.
Male – Vernon Norwood
Female – Nataliyah Friar
Cross Country Runner of the Year Award
Criteria: Reported to fall camp in excellent fitness from summer training program; Was consistently a top performing runner during the regular season and championship meets; Participated in the SEC and Regional Cross Country Championship meets.
Male – Philip Primeaux
Female – Morgan Schuetz
Academic/Athletic Accomplishment Award
Criteria: Combined both high academic and high athletic performance; Utilized the many academic and athletic resources provided by the LSU Athletic Department; NCAA and/or SEC competitor.
Male (The Kenner Day Award) – Joseph Caraway
Female – Denise Hinton/Jasmin Stowers
Most Improved Athlete Award
Criteria: Individual elevated their daily training efforts; Competition performance showed consistent improvement; Demonstrated dedication to athletic improvement.
Male – Quincy Downing
Female – Tori Bliss/Chanice Chase
Community Service Award
Criteria: Individual is active in community service activities; Logged most community service hours through the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program; Demonstrated dedication to athletic improvement.
Male (The Kirt Bennett Award) – David Collins
Female – Tori Bliss
Most Outstanding Field Athlete Award
Criteria: NCAA and/or SEC scorer; Exhibited event group leadership qualities; Demonstrated excellent work habits and motivation to improve.
Male – Rodney Brown
Female – Denise Hinton
Most Outstanding Track Athlete Award
Criteria: NCAA and/or SEC scorer; Exhibited event group leadership qualities; Demonstrated excellent work habits and motivation to improve.
Male – Vernon Norwood
Female – Jasmin Stowers
Academic Achievement Award
Criteria: Achieved the highest GPA during the previous two semesters; Completed a minimum of 24 degree credit hours; Participated in a minimum of six competitions during the year.
Male – Philip Dempsey
Female – Therese Jernbeck/Chaiss Matthews
Eye of the Tiger Award
Criteria: Demonstrated a fierce competitive attitude; Displayed an attitude which positively affects teammates; Possessed a relentless desire to improve their performance.
Male – Quincy Downing
Female – Nikita Tracey
LeJuan Simon Perseverance Award
Criteria: Displayed a work ethic that resulted in consistent performance improvements; Overcame obstacles to achieve goals; Contributed positively to the team.
Denise Hinton
LSU L Club Team Captain Award
Criteria: Senior who was an NCAA participant; Demonstrated team leadership characteristics; Strived for excellence athletically, academically and in community service.
Male – Jaora Johnson
Female – Lynnika Pitts/Jasmin Stowers
Most Outstanding Female Performer Award
Criteria: NCAA scorer; Performed consistently throughout the season(s); Displayed a positive attitude and team leadership behavior.
Jasmin Stowers
The Glenn “Slats” Hardin Award
Criteria: NCAA scorer; Performed consistently throughout the season(s); Displayed a positive attitude and team leadership behavior.
Vernon Norwood