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Big Ten Announces All-Big Ten Teams and Individual Award Winners
May 18, 2011
Park Ridge, Ill. -
The Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday the outdoor track and field All-Big Ten teams and individual awards winners from the 2011 season. On the men's side, Iowa's Justin Austin was named Track Athlete of the Year and of the Championships, Ohio State's Michael Hartfield was named Field Athlete of the Year and of the Championships, Wisconsin's Reed Connor won Freshman of the Year honors and Larry Wieczorek was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year. For the women, Ohio State's Christina Manning won Track Athlete of the Year and of the Championships honors, while Michigan State's Beth Rohl received Field Athlete of the Year and of the Championships laurels. Wisconsin's Emily Sisson earned Freshman of the Year distinction and Ohio State's Karen Dennis was named Coach of the Year. Austin becomes the first Iowa track athlete to win Big Ten Athlete of the Year and of the Championships since 1993 and 1999, respectively. He took home the 200-meter dash title during the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, setting a new school and facility record. Austin also scored points for the Hawkeyes with two top-four finishes in the 100-meter dash and 400-meter relay. Hartfield was named Field Athlete of the Year and of the Championships after earning a Big Ten title in the long jump and a runner-up performance in the triple jump. His triple jump mark was the fourth best in Ohio State outdoor history. Connor claimed Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, marking the first time a Wisconsin athlete has earned the distinction. He took home the 5,000-meter run title to become the Badgers' 14th winner in the event all-time. Manning becomes the first Ohio State track athlete to be named Athlete of the Year and of the Championships since the 2000 season. The junior set facility records in the 100-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles and 4x100 meter relay on the way to capturing three Big Ten titles.
Rohl claimed Field Athlete of the Year and of the Championships off the strength of two first-place finishes in the discus and hammer throw. Her marks in both events set new facility records, while her hammer throw performance set a new school record. Sisson earned Freshman of the Year accolades, becoming the first Badger to win the award since 1999. Over the three-day event, Sisson took third in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events. Dennis took home the first Big Ten Coach of the Year honor in program history after leading the Buckeye women to their first Big Ten Championship. After guiding the Hawkeye men to their first Big Ten title since 1967, Wieczorek claims the first Coach of the Year distinction in Iowa history. The conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The 20 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. These 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. The full list of All-Big Ten honorees and individual award winners can be found below. Track Athlete of the Year: Justin Austin, IOWA Track Athlete of the Year: Christina Manning, OSU Men's All Big-Ten Second Team: Sportsmanship Award Honorees: Women's All-Big Ten Second Team: Sportsmanship Award Honorees: |
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