The Big 12 has announced its 2016 Outdoor Track and Field postseason honors, as selected by the league’s head coaches following the Big 12 Outdoor Championship.
Ronnie Baker of TCU takes home the Men’s Big 12 Outstanding Performer of the Year award after winning the 100-meter dash in front of his home fans at the championship in Fort Worth, Texas this past week. Baker, the two-time defending NCAA Indoor 60m dash champion, ran a 10.15 second race to come away with the victory. Additionally, he has posted the fastest time in the NCAA this season in the 100-meters, a 9.95 second finish at the TCU Invitational on March 17.
Texas’ Morolake Akinosun is the Women’s Big 12 Outdoor Outstanding Performer of the Year thanks to her dominant exhibition at the Big 12 Championship. Akinosun finished first in the 100-meters (10 points), 200m-meters (10 points) and the 4x100-meter relay (2.5 points) at the meet to take home the High Point scorer award (22.5 points total). The senior from Aurora, Illinois, currently holds the top time in the NCAA this year in the 100m at 10.97 seconds. she was also named the High Point scorer at the 2014 Big 12 Outdoor Championship.
Outstanding freshmen honors went to Cerake Geberkidane of Oklahoma State and Shadae Lawrence of Kansas State who each took home titles at the Big 12 Championship. Geberkidane won both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races and finished just half a point shy of the men’s high point award (20 points). He also took home the title in the 5K at the indoor championship this past February.
Lawrence, whose twin sister Shardia won the triple jump, took home the discus title with a toss of 193’0” for a personal record. She currently sits with the eighth-best mark in the country this season and has the longest throw of any freshman in the country.
Coach of the Year honors went to Kansas’ Stanley Redwine for the men and Oklahoma’s Jim VanHootegem for the women after both coaches led their teams to second-place finishes at the championship. Both of the teams’ runner-up finishes are the best in their history in the Big 12.
Redwine was previously named Women’s Coach of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2013, and was also honored as the National Coach of the Year for the 2013 season. He was also the 2005 Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year. VanHootegem picks up his first career honor as a head coach.
NCAA Preliminary Round Competition is taking place May 26-28 in either Jacksonville, Florida (East Preliminary) or Lawrence, Kansas (West Preliminary). Continue to check Big12Sports.com for updates on conference athletes competing throughout the remainder of NCAA competition.
2016 BIG 12 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD HONORS
2016 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Outstanding Performer of the Year
MEN: Ronnie Baker, TCU WOMEN: Morolake Akinosun, Texas
2016 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Outstanding Freshman of the Year
MEN: Cerake Geberkidane, Oklahoma State WOMEN: Shadae Lawrence, Kansas State
2016 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year
MEN: Stanley Redwine, Kansas WOMEN: Jim VanHootegem, Oklahoma