Baton Rouge, La. – Freshman sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and sophomore JuVaughn Harrison of LSU’s track and field program have been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national outdoor athletes in their respective disciplines the USTFCCCA announced on Tuesday afternoon. Richardson is the Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and Harrison ins the Men’s Field Athlete of the Year.
Both of the athletes accomplished some special feats over the weekend at the NCAA Championships that were held in Austin, Texas, at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Richardson becomes the third woman in program history and the first freshman in this award’s history to garner this honor joining the likes of Aleia Hobbs (2018) and Kimberlyn Duncan (2012). Harrison is the first man in program history to earn the accolade since the USTFCCCA started honoring field and track athlete of the year awards in 2006. Legendary jumper Walter Davis was the overall USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year outdoors in 2002.
Richardson had an absolutely spectacular season on the track for the Tigers. At the national meet, she scored 20 of LSU’s 43 points with a win in the 100 and silver in the 200 and 4×100 meter relay to claim High Point Scorer of the Meet honors at NCAAs. Richardson set the collegiate record in the finals of the 100 meters at the NCAA Championships when she ran 10.75 to win her first national title; the time of 10.75 broke the former collegiate record of 10.78 that was ran by former LSU sprinter in 1989. In the 200 meters, Richardson finished second with a personal best of 22.17, a time that is the fifth fastest in collegiate history. Both the 10.75 and 22.17 were U20 world records and U20 American records. Even more impressive, the 10.75 that Richardson ran in the 100 meters is the ninth fastest of all time by a woman and the fifth-fastest by an American woman. During the outdoor season Richardson never lost a race in the 100 meters to collegiate competition as she won all five of her finals races. At the SEC meet in mid-may Richardson became the first freshman in SEC history to win individual titles in both the 100 and 200 and anchor a 4×100 meter relay to gold.
Harrison became the first man in NCAA outdoor history to sweep titles in the high jump and long jump at the same NCAA meet with his two national titles. He registered personal bests in both events with a long jump of 8.20 meters (26’ 11”) and a high jump of 2.27 meters (7’ 5.25”) to win the first two national titles of his career. His 20 points at the national meet played a large part in LSU’s seventh place finish at the NCAA meet. In mid-May at the SEC meet, Harrison compiled 18 points for the Tigers with a first-place finish in the high jump and a second-place showing to help lead LSU to its first SEC title since 1990.
Article courtesy of LSU Sports Information Department.