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Indiana's Aarik Wilson Named Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year
March 2, 2005
PARK RIDGE, IL - Indiana junior Aarik Wilson was named the Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships, Conference officials announced today. The Buckeyes' Anthony Cole was tabbed the League's Freshman of the Year after racing to the 60-meter dash title, while Wisconsin mentor Ed Nuttycombe earned his third consecutive Big Ten Coach of the Year award. The individual postseason awards were determined by a vote of the League's track and field head coaches. Wilson edged out defending long jump champion Paul Hubbard of Wisconsin to claim his first title of the Championships with a leap of 24-10.50. The Fallon, Nev., native scored his second crown of the two-day event and his fourth career Big Ten Indoor title, claiming the triple jump in record-breaking form. Wilson broke a 30-year old meet record when he recorded a jump of 55-02.75 and bettered the mark of Illinois' Charlton Ehizuelen, who jumped 54-09.05 in the 1975 championships Cole garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors with a first place showing in the 60-meter dash. Cole is just the second Buckeye to earn Freshman of the Year honors, as Aaron Payne collected the award in 1990. A native of Columbia, Md., Cole crossed the line in 6.76 seconds. Nuttycombe garnered his third consecutive Big Ten Coach of the Year award, which marks his seventh honor overall. The Badgers' mentor guided his team to its fifth straight indoor title and 19th all-time crown as they defeated runner-up Indiana, 144.5-105.5, in the team standings. The Conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for men's indoor track and field are Illinois' Abe Jones, Indiana's Aarik Wilson, Iowa's Andy Banse, Michigan's Darnell Talbert, Michigan State's Jeremy Orr, Minnesota's Andrew Carlson, Ohio State's Anthony Cole, Penn State's Dave Bollinger, Purdue's Kern Woods and Wisconsin's Jvontai Hanserd. These 10 student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the Conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
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