Willis Named Top Big Ten Freshman of Outdoor Season
5/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Freshman Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley HS) of the University of Michigan men's track and field team was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year in the conference's outdoor postseason awards, the league office announced today (Wednesday, May 21).
| | Willis is the first Wolverine to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. |
Willis has qualified for the upcoming NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in both the 800 and 1,500 meters. He posted a season-best time of 1:49.54 in the 800-meter run at the Jesse Owens Classic (May 3) and ran to a season-best 1,500-meter finish of 3:46.28 at the Eastern Michigan Twilight Invitational (April 18) to qualify for the regional meet. Willis also was a part of Michigan's winning distance medley relay team at the Penn Relays in April.
Coach of the Year and Athlete of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships went to Minnesota coach Phil Lundin and Gopher senior Mitch Potter. Ohio State's Dan Taylor was named the conference's outdoor Athlete of the Year.
After a week of rest, a total of 15 Wolverines will travel to the 2003 NCAA Regional Friday and Saturday (May 30-31) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships (June 11-14) in Sacramento, Calif.
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
