Big Ten Announces Outdoor Track & Field of the Year Honors
Conference names men’s and women’s Track and Field Athletes of the Year and Freshmen of the Year
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2019 men’s and women’s outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year and Freshmen of the Year on Wednesday, as voted upon by the coaches.
On the men’s side, Wisconsin’s Morgan McDonald was named the Track Athlete of the Year, while Michigan’sJack Lint claimed Field Athlete of the Year honors and Nebraska’s Mayson Conner was selected as Freshman of the Year. Rutgers’ Reanda Richards was tabbed the Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year, and Iowa’s Laulauga Tausaga earned Field Athlete of the Year.
McDonald earns Track Athlete of the Year after winning the 5,000-meter race at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas with a time of 14:06.01. McDonald’s win makes him the third student in NCAA history to win cross country, indoor 3,000-meter race, indoor 5,000-meter race and outdoor 5,000-meter race in one year, alongside Oregon’s Edward Cheserek (2015-16) and Galen Rupp (2008-09). The senior also claimed gold in the 10,000-meter race at the Big Ten Championships (29:26.06). McDonald is the first Badger to earn the award since Mohammed Ahmed in 2014.
Lint finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in the decathlon tallying 7,738 points, a career high. While in Austin, Texas, Lint noted a personal best 110-meter hurdles (14.49), pole vault (4.81m) and 1,500-meter run (4:35.22). The graduate student added a second-place finish to his se