CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Two Fighting Illini men's track and field athletes received Big Ten postseason awards on Wednesday, as announced by the Big Ten office. Hurdler David Kendziera was named the 2017 Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year and distance runner Jon Davis was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
David Kendziera and Jon Davis become the first Illini duo to win Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year in the same season since Robert True (Track Athlete of the Year) and Jason Van Swol (Freshman of the Year) won the awards during both the 1999 indoor and outdoor seasons. Illinois is the first team since Penn State in 2012 to have a Big Ten Athlete of the Year (Joe Kovacs) and a Big Ten Freshman of the Year (Robby Creese) in the same outdoor season.
Kendziera is the first Illini to be named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year since D.J. Zahn in 2015 following Illinois' Outdoor Big Ten title, while Davis becomes the first Illini since Andrew Riley in 2009 to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and the first since Dominque Worsley in 2006 to earn the accolade during the outdoor season.
Coming off of a 2016 season in which David Kendziera missed both the indoor and outdoor seasons due to injury, the Illini redshirt junior bounced back in 2017 with three First Team All-America honors, a Big Ten title in the 400m hurdles and two runner-up Big Ten finishes.
After winning seven event titles in nine tries between the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles during the outdoor regular season, Kendziera led the Orange and Blue with 18.25 points at Big Ten Outdoor Championships, highlighted by a Big Ten title in the 400m hurdles. Kendziera scored in two other events, winning a silver medal in the 110m hurdles and scoring a point as the anchor leg of the 4x400m relay.
One of three hurdlers in Division I to advance to NCAA Championships in both the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles, Kendziera became the first Illini to place in multiple events at the national meet since Andrew Riley's two NCAA titles in 2012. In the 110m hurdles, Kendziera clocked the fastest time in the semifinal round, a 13.39 finish that ranks second in Illinois history, and then won bronze in the event final. He followed the third place finish up with a seventh-place finish in the 400m hurdles less than an hour later.
In addition to receiving the Big Ten honor, Kendziera was also named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) All-District team prior to NCAA West Prelims for his excellence on the track and in the classroom.
Joining Kendziera in being lauded by the Big Ten conference, Jon Davis was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year following an All-American performance in the 5,000m at NCAA Outdoor Championships.
After redshirting the indoor season, Davis made his Illinois track debut in the 1500m at the Stanford Invite on March 31. Two weeks later, running his first collegiate 5,000m race, Davis set the second-fastest time in the event in school history with a 13:49.55 performance at Mt. SAC Relays.
Contesting two events at Big Ten Championships, Davis placed fifth in the 1500m, but was unable to score in the 5,000m. Two weeks later, the Illini freshman bounced back at NCAA Prelims with a time of 14:34.45, becoming the first Illini to qualify for NCAA Championships in the 5,000m during the regional/prelims era. Davis was also the first Illini freshman since Juan Paul Green in 2013 to advance to the national meet. In Eugene, Davis recorded a 16th place finish, timing 14:45.28, in the NCAA final to earn Second Team All-America honors and finished as the top freshman in the event.
One of the top distance recruits in the country coming out of high school, Davis won nine IHSA state titles between track and cross country at Oakwood High School in Fithian, Illinois.
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MEN'S INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Track Athlete of the Year: David Kendziera, Illinois
Field Athlete of the Year: Luca Wieland, Minnesota
Freshman of the Year: Jonathan Davis, Illinois
WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Tack Athlete of the Year: Devynne Charlton, Purdue
Field Athlete of the Year: Sydney Clute, Indiana
Freshman of the Year: Danae Rivers, Penn State
