March 16, 2017
Big Ten Men's Release
Big Ten Women's Release
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State track and field sophomore Isaiah Harris was named Big Ten Men's Track Athlete of the Year while Danae Rivers was named the Big Ten women's Freshman of the Year Thursday as announced by the conference.
Harris earned First-Team All-American honors and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in the 800-meters with a time of 1:47.94, less than .50 seconds behind the first-place finisher. The Lewiston, Maine, native also claimed his third-straight Big Ten title in the same event with a time of 1:47.23 at the Big Ten Championships as well as contributing as the anchor leg of the Big Ten Champion 4x400-meter relay that recorded a Big Ten meet and school record time of 3:04.80 splitting 45.7 to secure the title
The Athlete of the Year award is the second in Penn State men's program history joining Casimir Loxsom who won the award back in 2013.
Rivers opened her freshman campaign with back-to-back-to-back school records in the 600-meters, 800-meters and mile as well as running as a leg on the school record Distance Medley Relay over the course of the indoor season.
Rivers finished third in the women's mile at the NCAA Championships with a time of 4:33.89 and led Penn State's distance medley relay team at the NCAA Championships, propelling the foursome to a sixth-place finish with a time of 11:04.89.
Rivers was a huge part of the T-10th-place finish by the Penn State women's team at the NCAA Championships - the second highest finish in program history.
At the Big Ten Championships, Rivers won the 800-meter race with a time of 2:06.10 and anchored the distance medley relay team to a first-place finish with a time of 11:10.53.
A Derby, CT native, Rivers finished her freshman indoor season having earned two Big Ten titles (800-meters; DMR) as well as two All-American honors at the NCAA Championships.
Rivers joins Donna Fiddler (1996) and Shavon Greaves (2008) as the only other Nittany Lions to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors for the Penn State women's team.
Penn State recorded the best combined finish at the Big Ten Championships this past indoor season as the women brought home the title to Happy Valley with the men's team finishing runner-up at the meet.
Penn State had nine athletes named to the All-Big Ten First-Team, while four athletes earned All-Big Ten Second-Team honors.
For more on Nittany Lion track & field, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.