Baton Rouge, La. – Terrance Laird has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Athlete of the Week after his eye-opening performance at the Texas Relays last weekend.
Laird, a native from Coatesville, Pa., won gold in the 200 meters with a time of 19.81 seconds and anchored the LSU 4×100 meter relay team to a silver finish with a readout of 38.70. His efforts in both of these races earned him Texas Relays Performer of the Meet honors.
Laird’s time of 19.81 seconds makes him the third fastest performer in collegiate history behind Florida State’s Walter Dix (19.69/2007) and Texas Tech’s Divine Oduduru (19.73/2019); in the LSU school record book, which features out of collegiate competition for athletes competing the summer immediately after their senior year, the time of 19.81 ranks No. 2 behind Xavier Carter’s 19.63 that he ran in July of 2006.
With the time of 19.81, Laird becomes the 15th fastest American of all time and ranks No. 29 on the all-time world list. He also anchored LSU’s 4×100 meter relay to a season best time of 38.70, a mark that ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this season.
Laird becomes LSU’s first winner of this award outdoors since Mondo Duplantis (x2) captured the award in 2019. Other winners from LSU include Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (2016) and Vernon Norwood (2015).