LSU Gold
Position
Hurdles
Height
5'8
Class
Junior
Hometown
Cicero, N.Y.
Previous School
Buffalo
High School
Paul V. Moore HS

Event: 400H (52.10), 800M (IN: 1:51.71; OUT: 1:49.53)

CAREER CAPSULE
A two-year letterwinner for the Tigers in 2010 and 2012 … An NCAA Championships qualifier in the 800-meter run during his senior season in 2012 … A three-time SEC finalist during his collegiate career … Scored three points at the SEC Championships in two appearances in the 400-meter hurdles … Finished in seventh place as a sophomore in 2010 and eighth place as a senior in 2012 in the final of the 400-meter hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Was a three-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll from 2010-12 … Graduated from LSU in May 2012 with a degree in information systems and decision sciences.

2012
An NCAA Championships qualifier in the 800-meter run in his final season with the Tigers in 2012 … Was also an SEC Championships finalist in both the 800 meters indoors and 400-meter hurdles outdoors in 2012 … Finished in 43rd place in the qualifying round of the 800 meters at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds with a run of 1 minute, 53.40 seconds in the final race of his collegiate career … Qualified for the NCAA Championships with a seasonal-best and personal-best time of 1:49.53 set in an eighth-place finish at the Battle on the Bayou … Scored one point for the Tigers with an eighth-place finish in the 400 hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Crossed the finish line in 52.69 in the conference final … Advanced to his second career SEC final in the 400 hurdles with a new personal record of 52.10 for ninth place in the preliminary round … Earned back-to-back third-place finishes in the 400 hurdles at the Arizona State Tri-Meet (52.34) and LSU Alumni Gold (52.40) during the outdoor season … Led off LSU’s 4×800-meter relay that took eighth place at the Texas Relays with a run of 7:37.52 … Ran the 800-meter leg on LSU’s distance medley relay that placed seventh in the college division at the Penn Relays with a season-best of 10:01.66 … Qualified for the 800-meter final at the SEC Indoor Championships … Wrapped up the indoor season with a ninth-place finish after clocking 1:52.49 in the event at the SEC Indoor meet … Set an indoor PR of 1:51.71 for seventh place in the qualifying round … Opened the indoor season with a third-place finish in the 800 meters at the Crimson Tide Indoor Opener (1:54.01) … Took fourth place at the Texas A&M Dual Meet (1:52.16) … Also ran the 800 meters at the Razorback Invitational (1:52.81), New Balance Collegiate Invitational (1:52.99) and Tyson Invitational (1:52.79) during the indoor season … Earned his third career selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for his outstanding performance in the classroom.

2011
Recorded a seasonal-best time of 53.71 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles at both the LSU Alumni Gold and Cole-Lancon Invitational during the outdoor season … Finished runner-up in the event at the Cole-Lancon Invitational and fourth place at the LSU Alumni Gold … Opened the 2011 outdoor season with back-to-back 10th-place finishes at the LSU Tiger Relays (55.36) and LSU Invitational (54.14) … Was the 43rd-place finisher in the 400 hurdles at the Texas Relays with a time of 55.36 in the qualifying round … Clocked 48.10 in his only appearance in the 400-meter dash in a fifth-place finish at the Louisiana Classics … Ran the leadoff leg on LSU’s B team in the 4×400-meter relay that took sixth place at the LSU Tiger Relays with a time of 3 minutes, 12.62 seconds … Made one start in the 800-meter run during the indoor season at the LSU NCAA Indoor Qualifier … Received his second selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll following the 2011 season.

2010
One of the top 400-meter hurdlers in the Southeastern Conference during the 2010 season … Scored two points for the Tigers with a seventh-place finish in the 400 hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Clocked a time of 53.36 in the conference final … Advanced to the final with a seasonal-best time of 53.00 in the conference semifinal … His seasonal-best time of 53.00 ranked No. 7 on the SEC performance list at the end of the season … Finished runner-up in the B section of the 400 hurdles at the LSU Alumni Gold (53.10) … Also competed in the event at the Miami Elite Invitational (53.12) and Penn Relays (54.78) … Opened up the outdoor season by running the 400-meter dash at the Louisiana Classics in Lafayette, where he earned a sixth-place finish with a time of 48.91 … Ran on LSU’s 4×400-meter relay indoors at the Purple Tiger Invitational … Honored for his academic performance with a selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll following the season.

PRIOR TO LSU
Came to LSU after competing as a freshman at the University of Buffalo … A 400-meter hurdler who earned a sixth-place finish in the event at the Mid American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2009 … Clocked a time of 54.50 seconds in the conference final … Finished his freshman campaign with a seasonal-best time of 53.22 to rank second on the Buffalo squad … Boasts a PR of 52.59 in the 400-meter hurdles … Recorded his personal best in the event in a fourth-place finish at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in 2008 … Won a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the 400 hurdles at the New York state meet as a junior in 2007 … Coached in high school by Curtis Merrick at Cicero North Syracuse High School and by Sandy Burns at Paul V. Moore High School.

PERSONAL
Full name is James Patrick Thurn … Born on April 19, 1990 … Parents are John and Susan Thurn … Has one sister, Jennell, and one brother, John Thurn II … Was an honor student at Cicero North Syracuse High School … Graduated from LSU in May 2012 with a degree in information systems and decision sciences.

 

Full Bio