BATON ROUGE – After posting an NCAA-leading and meet-record throw of 207 feet, 11 inches to capture the men’s discus title in LSU’s 2015 outdoor season opener at the Louisiana Classics on Saturday, Tiger senior Rodney Brown was honored for his performance as the Southeastern Conference Men’s Field Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.
This marks the third time in his collegiate career that Brown has been recognized as the SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week for his discus performance as he also claimed the honor on March 20, 2012, as a freshman in the wake of his collegiate debut at the Louisiana Classics and on April 1, 2014, after setting a previous personal best at the Texas Relays a season ago.
Brown is off to a flying start to his senior season after smashing the Louisiana Classics meet record and grabbing the early-season NCAA lead in winning the men’s discus title on Saturday afternoon.
He ended the event by unleashing the No. 1-ranked mark in the NCAA of 207-11 on his sixth and final attempt of the competition to win the men’s discus title at the Louisiana Classics for the second time in three years by more than 50 feet over junior teammate Patrick Geers (155-1). It’s a throw that also tops the NCAA rankings by nearly 11 feet as Brown’s season-opening mark of 207-11 ranks No. 1 in the nation ahead of Maryland-Eastern Shore’s Dillon Simon in the No. 2 spot with a mark of 197-3 this past weekend.
Brown, LSU’s school-record holder with a career-best of 212-2 in the event, also recorded his best career season-opening mark in four seasons with the Tigers as his winning throw Saturday is more than 10 feet farther than his previous best season opener of 197-1 set in winning his first Louisiana Classics title to kick off his sophomore season in 2013.
With his performance, Brown is now poised to challenge his own school record and contend for his first NCAA Championship in the men’s discus in his final season with the Tigers in 2015.
LSU’s SEC Athletes of the Week for 2015
SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
March 24 – Rodney Brown
SEC Women’s Runner of the Week
Jan. 20 – Morgan Schuetz
SEC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Jan. 13 – Tori Bliss
SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week
Jan. 13 – Mikiah Brisco
Feb. 3 – Daeshon Gordon