BATON ROUGE – The LSU Track & Field program held its sixth-annual Team Awards and Alumni Recognition Banquet on Friday night at the Carl Maddox Field House in which 19 student-athletes received awards for their performance in competition, in the classroom and in the community during the 2014-15 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 members of the program for their outstanding performance during the 2014 cross country, 2015 indoor and 2015 outdoor seasons while leading the Tigers and Lady Tigers in all aspects of the program.
Highlighting the festivities was the 25th anniversary celebration of LSU’s NCAA title sweep during the 1990 outdoor season when the Tigers and Lady Tigers defended their titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Duke University that season. They made history the year before in 1989 as the first school to sweep both the men’s and women’s NCAA Outdoor team titles at BYU in 1989.
“We always look forward to this event each year with the history we continue to celebrate, as well as honoring those athletes who continue to carry that standard of excellence with them that this program is known for,” 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 of those athletes from the 1990 teams that hold such a special place in the history of collegiate track and field. To sweep NCAA titles the year before was history, but to do it again the next season is legendary.”
The awards portion of the banquet proceeding was capped by seniors Tori Bliss and Vernon Norwood taking home the Most Outstanding Performer of the Year awards for the men’s and women’s teams.
Bliss was named the winner of the Most Outstanding Female Performer of the Year award for the first time in her Lady Tiger career to follow in the footsteps of 2014 winner and emerging international hurdle standout Jasmin Stowers. Former middle distance All-American LaTavia Thomas won the inaugural award in 2010, while NCAA Champion sprinter Kimberlyn Duncan won it three-straight years from 2011-13.
Bliss ended her collegiate career in 2015 as one of the most decorated throwers in the history of the Lady Tiger program as the NCAA Indoor Silver Medalist and NCAA Outdoor Bronze Medalist in the shot put in 2015. It was a senior season in which Bliss became one of the Top 10 shot putters in collegiate history in both seasons with school records of 60 feet, 7 ¼ inches indoors and 60-8 outdoors. She posted her indoor best mark for a second-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while she followed with her outdoor best at the LSU Invitational.
Bliss’ record-setting senior season also included a meet-record performance at the SEC Indoor Championships at the University of Kentucky where she unleashed a championship record of 60-1 on her first attempt in a gold-medal-winning performance to claim her first SEC title while at LSU.
A product of Portage (Ind.) High School, Bliss ended her collegiate career following the 2015 season as a three-time All-American and two-time All-SEC performer along with her two school records in the shot put.
Not only was Bliss named the Most Outstanding Female Performer of the Year during this year’s banquet, but she also claimed two other awards on the night with the Community Service Award for the second season in a row and the LSU L Club Team Captain Award for the first time in her career. She was one of two athletes to take home three awards on the night.
Norwood was presented The Glenn “Slats” Hardin Award for the second-straight year honoring the Most Outstanding Male Performer of the Year as the NCAA’s premier 400-meter runners in 2015.
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, California, 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 in the history of the sport.
Norwood became only the fourth sprinter in collegiate history to sweep NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor titles in the 400-meter dash (or 440 yards) to highlight a dominant senior season with the Tigers in 2015. He ran an indoor personal best of 45.31 seconds to claim the indoor crown before completing the sweep with a run of 45.10 in the national final to win the outdoor crown as the NCAA’s top 400-meter sprinter.
Not only that, but Norwood wrapped up his collegiate career by anchoring the Tigers to a national championship in the 4×400-meter relay in his final collegiate race during the outdoor season. He teamed with his fellow Tigers Quincy Downing, Fitzroy Dunkley and Cyril Grayson in winning the NCAA Outdoor title in the mile relay with a winning time of 3 minutes, 1.96 seconds at Oregon’s Hayward Field.
While also running a lifetime best of 44.44 in the 400 meters in a win at the Battle on the Bayou last April, Norwood went out as the No. 2-ranked 400-meter runner both indoors and outdoors in school history.
He carried his momentum onto the international stage in the summer while making his debut for the United States at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics held in Beijing, China. It’s there where he was crowned a World Champion in his championship debut while running on Team USA’s gold-medal-winning 4×400-meter relay team.
Norwood was only with the Tigers in two seasons after joining the team in 2014 following his time at South Plains College, but he ended his career as one of the most decorated sprinters in school history as a four-time NCAA Champion, eight-time All-American and nine-time All-SEC performer in his two seasons at LSU during the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
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 was presented the Most Outstanding Track Athlete Award for a second-straight season while also joining Bliss as a recipient of the LSU L Club Team Captain Award.
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 – Jordan Moore
Female – Daeshon Gordon
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 – Travis Pope
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) – Quincy Downing
Female – Mikiah Brisco
Most Improved Athlete Award
Criteria: Individual elevated their daily training efforts; Competition performance showed consistent improvement; Demonstrated dedication to athletic improvement.
Male – Tremayne Acy
Female – Morgan Schuetz
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) – Philip Dempsey
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 – Nataliyah Friar
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 – Aleia Hobbs
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 – Andria Aguilar/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 – Joshua Thompson
Female – Rebekah Wales
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.
Male – Aaron Ernest
Female – Annie Simoneaux
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 – Rodney Brown/Quincy Downing/Vernon Norwood
Female – Tori Bliss
Most Outstanding Female Performer Award
Criteria: NCAA scorer; Performed consistently throughout the season(s); Displayed a positive attitude and team leadership behavior.
Tori Bliss
The Glenn “Slats” Hardin Award
Criteria: NCAA scorer; Performed consistently throughout the season(s); Displayed a positive attitude and team leadership behavior.
Vernon Norwood