Norwood places 4th at USATF meet

LSU track and field standout Vernon Norwood recorded a personal record en route to a fourth-place finish at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday at Sacramento State.
Norwood, a 2011 Morgan City High alum, ran a personal record of 45.02 in the field.
Gil Roberts won the race in 44.53, while Josh Mance was second with a 44.89 finish and Kyle Clemons, third with a 45-second race.
While Norwood finished fourth in the eight-man field, among the competitors he beat was sixth-place finisher Mike Berry of Oregon, who clocked in at 45.12. Berry took second place in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month. Norwood, was third at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Every competitor in Saturday’s race recorded a sub-46-second finish.
Norwood, a junior, was one of multiple current or former LSU track and field participants to compete at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which featured pro and amateur athletes.
Saturday’s 400-meter final was aired on NBC.
Norwood’s time in the race eclipsed his previous best of 45.17, which he set in the 400-meter finals at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Lexington, Ky. and the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Jacksonville, Fla. earlier this year.
At last month’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he finished third in the 400-meter run, while he also was part of the Tigers’ third-place 4x400-meter relay.
In the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships qualifying round on June 26, Norwood won his heat with a time of 45.39. The time was the fourth fastest among the more than 20 competitors in four heats.
Norwood edged Berry for first-place in the second heat. Berry finished in 45.43.
The duo was among 16 competitors from four heats to advance to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Norwood clocked in at 45.21 for a second-place finish in heat. He recorded the third-fastest mark of the day.
Roberts won Norwood’s heat with a time of 44.99.
Both were among the eight qualifiers from two heats to advance to Saturday’s finals.