UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After winning the first Big Ten Championship in the men's hammer throw in Penn State history, senior Morgan Shigo was named Field Athlete of the Championships announced Wednesday by the Big Ten conference office.
At last week's Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Shigo advanced to the finals in the hammer throw with his top throw of 228-3 (69.57m). In the finals of the event, Shigo never relinquished the lead. Shigo improved on every throw during the event, finishing with a best throw of 236-4 (72.04m). Along with being the first men's hammer throw Big Ten title for the Nittany Lions, it was also a facility record at the University of Iowa.
Shigo becomes the fourth men's Nittany Lion track & field athlete to earn Athlete of the Championship honors in outdoor competition. He joins Darrell Hill (2014), Malik Moffett (2017) and Isaiah Harris (2018) to earn Athlete of the Championship plaudits. Shigo is the third men's Nittany Lion student-athlete to earn Field Athlete of the Championships honors (Hill & Moffett).
Shigo was a first team All-American last year in the hammer throw, finishing sixth at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Shigo currently ranks sixth in the NCAA and fifth in the NCAA East Region. Shigo is the school-record holder in the hammer throw, setting the record in 2018 with a career-best throw of 237-9 (72.47m)
The Big Ten Conference office recognizes students from each team as Sportsmanship Award Honorees. The students chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the students must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. These students are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female from each institution at the end of the school year.
Penn State's honorees are Michael Biddle and Kiara Lester
A full list of honorees can be found with on bigten.org. Awards for Big Ten Track and Field Athletes of the Year, as well as Freshman of the Year, will be announced following the NCAA Championships.
Penn State track & field travels to Jacksonville, Florida, for the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round on May 23 through May 25.