Spring Break
Torrin Lawrence earns All-America honors
Issue date: 3/13/09 Section: Sports
COLLEGE STATION - Georgia freshman Torrin Lawrence finished seventh in the 200-meter dash for All-American honors to highlight the first day of the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas.
In addition, senior Justin Gaymon locked down the fifth All-America certificate of his career after qualifying for the 400 finals. Lawrence and Gaymon's All-America certificates gave the Bulldogs 10 straight years with at least one of the honors.
Lawrence's two points put the Bulldogs in a tie for 32nd place with Northeastern. Oregon is leading the meet after scoring 23 points on the first day of action. In the women's meet, BYU is leading after scoring 18 points.
On Saturday, Gaymon will race in the 400 finals at 6:50 p.m. EDT while senior Michael Proctor and freshman Phillip Adams will join Gaymon and Lawrence in the 4x400 relay finals at 8:25 p.m.
"(Torrin) ran super well in the first round and then didn't run quite as well in the finals," said head coach Wayne Norton. "But I thought his whole season has been a great accomplishment considering this was his first season running indoors. He was upbeat after coming off the track and he's looking forward to two things: running in the relay (Saturday) and running many more races during the outdoor season."
Lawrence, who was named the USTFCCCA Men's South Region Track Athlete of the Year earlier this week, was fourth in the second heat of the 200 finals with a finish of 20.90 to take seventh overall. The Jacksonville, Fla., native came into the meet ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 200 with a school-record time of 20.77.
In the prelims, Lawrence won the fourth heat after registering the second-fastest time of his career (20.79). This was the second-fastest time of the prelims after Baylor's Trey Harts, who eventually won the finals with a 20.63, placed first in the second heat with a time of 20.73. Four of the eight finalists were from the SEC.
Gaymon was the eighth and final qualifier for the 400 finals with a time of 47.10 after finishing fourth out of four in the first heat. This was his third-fastest time of the season for him and a hundredth of a second quicker than his finish while taking fifth at this year's SEC Championships. The Stewartsville, N.J., native assured the fifth All-America certificate in his career since the top eight finishers in the finals all automatically garner All-American honors.
He was 17th on the NCAA performance list coming into the meet but was the 16th and final sprinter chosen because Lawrence, who had the fourth-fastest time in the nation (46.18), did not declare in the 400.
"We fortunately got Justin qualified and just like any finals, he will have a chance so we're looking for something big," said Norton.
Joining Gaymon on the 2007 outdoor All-American 4x400 team, Proctor will also be a leg on the Bulldog relay team which had the 11th-best time (3:07.45) in the nation after breaking the school record at the SEC Championships. Adams is the fourth leg of Georgia's relay team.
The Bulldogs are looking to improve on their 2008 NCAA indoor finish after tying for 30th place with eight points. Gaymon, Ross Ridgewell (800) and Ian Burrell (5000) all earned All-America certificates following their performances in Fayetteville, Ark., last year.
Full results and a recap from the NCAA Indoor Championships will be located at georgiadogs.com. ESPN360 (espn360.com) is also planning on streaming the event live on Saturday.
ESPN2 will also air a 90-minute show on the NCAA Championships on Monday, March 23 at 2:30 p.m.
Name Event Time, Day
Justin Gaymon 400m(F) Saturday, 6:50 p.m.
J. Gaymon 4x400m relay(F) Saturday, 8:25 p.m.
Michael Proctor, Phillip Adams, Torrin Lawrence
P - Prelims; F - Finals
- Georgia Sports Communications
In addition, senior Justin Gaymon locked down the fifth All-America certificate of his career after qualifying for the 400 finals. Lawrence and Gaymon's All-America certificates gave the Bulldogs 10 straight years with at least one of the honors.
Lawrence's two points put the Bulldogs in a tie for 32nd place with Northeastern. Oregon is leading the meet after scoring 23 points on the first day of action. In the women's meet, BYU is leading after scoring 18 points.
On Saturday, Gaymon will race in the 400 finals at 6:50 p.m. EDT while senior Michael Proctor and freshman Phillip Adams will join Gaymon and Lawrence in the 4x400 relay finals at 8:25 p.m.
"(Torrin) ran super well in the first round and then didn't run quite as well in the finals," said head coach Wayne Norton. "But I thought his whole season has been a great accomplishment considering this was his first season running indoors. He was upbeat after coming off the track and he's looking forward to two things: running in the relay (Saturday) and running many more races during the outdoor season."
Lawrence, who was named the USTFCCCA Men's South Region Track Athlete of the Year earlier this week, was fourth in the second heat of the 200 finals with a finish of 20.90 to take seventh overall. The Jacksonville, Fla., native came into the meet ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 200 with a school-record time of 20.77.
In the prelims, Lawrence won the fourth heat after registering the second-fastest time of his career (20.79). This was the second-fastest time of the prelims after Baylor's Trey Harts, who eventually won the finals with a 20.63, placed first in the second heat with a time of 20.73. Four of the eight finalists were from the SEC.
Gaymon was the eighth and final qualifier for the 400 finals with a time of 47.10 after finishing fourth out of four in the first heat. This was his third-fastest time of the season for him and a hundredth of a second quicker than his finish while taking fifth at this year's SEC Championships. The Stewartsville, N.J., native assured the fifth All-America certificate in his career since the top eight finishers in the finals all automatically garner All-American honors.
He was 17th on the NCAA performance list coming into the meet but was the 16th and final sprinter chosen because Lawrence, who had the fourth-fastest time in the nation (46.18), did not declare in the 400.
"We fortunately got Justin qualified and just like any finals, he will have a chance so we're looking for something big," said Norton.
Joining Gaymon on the 2007 outdoor All-American 4x400 team, Proctor will also be a leg on the Bulldog relay team which had the 11th-best time (3:07.45) in the nation after breaking the school record at the SEC Championships. Adams is the fourth leg of Georgia's relay team.
The Bulldogs are looking to improve on their 2008 NCAA indoor finish after tying for 30th place with eight points. Gaymon, Ross Ridgewell (800) and Ian Burrell (5000) all earned All-America certificates following their performances in Fayetteville, Ark., last year.
Full results and a recap from the NCAA Indoor Championships will be located at georgiadogs.com. ESPN360 (espn360.com) is also planning on streaming the event live on Saturday.
ESPN2 will also air a 90-minute show on the NCAA Championships on Monday, March 23 at 2:30 p.m.
Name Event Time, Day
Justin Gaymon 400m(F) Saturday, 6:50 p.m.
J. Gaymon 4x400m relay(F) Saturday, 8:25 p.m.
Michael Proctor, Phillip Adams, Torrin Lawrence
P - Prelims; F - Finals
- Georgia Sports Communications
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