Track Record

Lent is fast approaching. So is UGA freshman Torrin Lawrence.

I don't know what the newest Bulldog track athlete is giving up this year, but it surely isn't any ground to his competitors.

The Jacksonville, Fla. native ran the 400 meters in 46.18 seconds at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. on February 13th. That is the second best indoor time in school-history.

Not one to disappoint, Lawrence then ran the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay for the Bulldogs. Although he led University of Florida sprinter and Olympian Calvin Smith by 10 yards upon receiving the baton, Lawrence blew past the Gator and through the tape.

His split was run in the incredible time of 45.1 seconds. That is the fastest recorded time in the world so far this year. Lawrence can also lay claim to the year's fastest 200-meter time of 20.77. That may not be saying too much since it is only February, but Lawrence is not slowing down. He is only getting better.

That SEC meet on the University of Arkansas campus was only the sixth of Lawrence's collegiate carrier. In fact, Lawrence didn't even run track until his junior year of high school.

Today, the SEC named him the Male Runner of the Week. This marks the second time Lawrence has received the honor. He was also named Freshman of the Week on January 27.

In a sport that is often overshadowed by football and basketball, Lawrence is possibly the most promising young runner at Georgia since a kid named Herschel Walker. If memory serves, that kid also knew a thing or two about football as well.