Texas A&M's Deon Lendore selected National Athlete of the Week

NEW ORLEANS - Aggie sophomore sprinter Deon Lendore earned national acclaim from his performances during the Texas A&M Triangular this past Saturday as he was named the Division I men's National Athlete of the Week by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Lendore won the 400 meters in a world-leading time of 45.91 seconds as the No. 4 Aggies won the triangular meet over No. 1 Arkansas (99) and No. 10 LSU (82.5). Lendore also anchored the Aggie 4 x 400 relay in 45.9 as A&M won the event in 3:07.21 over LSU's 3:07.74.

In leading the 2013 world list for the 400m by three-quarters of a second, Lendore also posted one of the fastest times ever recorded in the month of January. Only three individuals have run faster in January, and two of those marks were set on the last weekend of the month. The marks include 45.60 by Thomas Schonlebe (GDR) on Jan. 19, 1985; 45.81 by Tabarie Henry (A&M) on Jan. 30, 2010; and 45.85 by Dave Dopek (US) on Jan. 31, 1997.

In defeating a 400m field that included LSU's Caleb Williams (46.98) and Aggie teammates Aldrich Bailey, Jr. (47.28) and Carlyle Roudette (47.38), Lendore broke the meet record of 46.03 set in 2010 by A&M's Demetrius Pinder. Lendore is currently third on the Aggie all-time list behind Pinder (45.33) and Henry (45.81).