Lawrence Named B1G Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year

IOWA CITY, Iowa — — University of Iowa sophomore Wayne Lawrence has been named Big Ten Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday.

Lawrence is the first Hawkeye in school history to earn the honor.

Lawrence had a record-breaking indoor season, clinching three gold medals at the conference meet to lead Iowa to a second place finish in the team race, its highest placing since 1963. On March 4, Lawrence was named the Track Athlete of the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

Over the course of the indoor season, Lawrence set school records in 400 meters (45.56) and 600 meters (1:16.55). At the Big Ten Indoor Championships, his 400-meter time was a SPIRE facility record. His 200-meter time ranks third and the 1,600-meter relay time ranks second all-time at Iowa.

“Wayne had an unbelievably special indoor season,” said Coach Jason Wakenight. “He was having arguably the greatest indoor season from a Hawkeye ever and established himself as a world-class athlete. He has grown so much as a student, athlete, and as a person. He’s been so coachable and wanted badly to become a champion. He has put so much time into improving in the weight room, improving himself in the classroom, and I can’t imagine anyone who deserves this more. I’m just so happy for him. I can’t wait to get back on the track and finish what we started – we have a lot of special things left on our plate. 2020 was just the beginning.”