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

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

As a sophomore, Lawrence broke records all season long and won three gold medals at the indoor conference meet. Lawrence led the Iowa men’s team to a second-place finish in the event, its highest placing since 1963. On March 4, Lawrence was named the Track Athlete of the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

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

“Wayne had an unbelievably special indoor season,” assistanct coach Jason Wakenight said. “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.”