Chambana Sun

The Big Ten Conference has announced the winners of the 2024 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships awards. The event took place from May 10-12 at the U-M Track and Field Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Tori Thomas, a junior pole vaulter from Illinois, was named Women's Field Athlete of the Championships. She achieved this honor by setting a new Big Ten Outdoor Championships record with a vault of 4.52 meters (14-10). Thomas is only the second woman from Illinois to win this title, following Stephanie Richartz who achieved it three times in previous years.

Thomas' achievement marks her as the first woman in Illinois history to be named Field Athlete of the Outdoor Championships. Previously, Aja Evans was recognized as Field Athlete of the Indoor Championships.

Jessica McDowell and Robert Williams were also acknowledged for their sportsmanship. Both athletes were selected as Illinois' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees. This award is given to student-athletes who exhibit sportsmanship and ethical behavior while maintaining good academic standing and demonstrating good citizenship outside of sports.

The Big Ten will announce its 2024 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track Athletes of the Year, Field Athletes of the Year, and Freshmen of the Year after the NCAA Championships scheduled for June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Additional recognitions included Florence Caron from Penn State as Women's Track Athlete of the Championships, Devin Augustine from Minnesota as Men's Track Athlete of the Championships, Mike Stein from Iowa as Men's Field Athlete of the Championships, Matt Bingle from Minnesota as Women's Coach of the Year, and Justin St. Clair from Nebraska as Men's Coach of the Year.

The conference also presented its annual Sportsmanship Awards to one male and one female athlete from each participating institution across all sports at year's end.