UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: November 6, 2008 - With just two collegiate races to his credit, redshirt-freshman Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) has already proved he will be one to watch on the conference and national levels, as he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, announced by conference on Wednesday. Dawson is the first Nittany Lion on the men's side to earn one of the major individual awards in cross country since the Nitttany Lions began Big Ten competition in 1991.
Dawson more than held his own in a stacked Big Ten field last weekend, scoring a fifth-place finish individually among countless NCAA All-Americans and Big Ten standouts. Dawson finished the grueling 8,000-meter course in 24:48, to earn first team all-conference honors as the top first-year finisher in the field. In the team standings, Dawson led the Lions to a fourth-place finish - the highest since the 2000 season. The Nittany Lions are now ranked 29th-nationally, thanks to their outstanding efforts at the conference championships.
Individual champion Hassan Mead of Minnesota was named Athlete of the Year, while Wisconsin mentor Mick Byrne received Coach of the Year honors. Other Nittany Lion honorees included seniors Teddy Quinn (Rush, N.Y.), and Kathryn Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who both received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
The Nittany Lions will have the weekend off before competing at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at Princeton University on Nov. 15.