Laird, who hails from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was named the National Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. He put an exclamation point on the end of a terrific season at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships by scoring a gender-high 20½ points thanks to winning the 100, anchoring the winning 4×100 relay to a come-from-behind victory and finishing a close runner-up in the 200 (It was his lone loss in the 200 this season). Earlier in the season, Laird became the third-fastest performer in collegiate history in the outdoor 200 with his wind-legal 19.81 effort at the Texas Relays and added a 19.82 half-lap for good measure later at the SEC Outdoor Championships to break a 19-year-old meet record held by Justin Gatlin.