Junior Rikkoi Brathwaite was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year on Wednesday night, becoming the first IU runner to receive this accolade since 2017.
Two IU women won the award in 2017, but the last member of the men’s team to win the award was Derek Drouin in 2013.
Brathwaite competed in five events during this year’s shortened indoor season: the Simmons-Harvey Invitational, Gladstein Invitational, Hoosier Hills, Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships.
[Related: Inspired, broken and motivated: Brathwaite keeps promise to himself]
He took first place in the 60-meter in all but one of those races, the NCAA Championships, where he received the bronze medal for third place.
At the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 27, Brathwaite put the finishing touches on his successful conference season with a personal best time of 6.55 in the 60-meter final on his way to a first place finish.
The time tied an all-time Big Ten record and was the ninth fastest in the country this year.
Brathwaite finished second in the Big Ten Championships last season and won three times in the 60-meter. Brathwaite will continue to compete during the outdoor season, where he runs the 100-meter and the 200-meter.
