Kansas University hurdler Michael Stigler was named Big 12 Outstanding Male Freshman of the Year on Wednesday. The awards were voted on by league head track-and-field coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own athletes.
Stigler won the first 400-meter hurdle Big 12 title in Kansas history at the Big 12 Outdoor over the weekend in Manhattan.
Stigler, a Canyon, Texas native, set a KU school record and earned an automatic trip to the Olympic Trials later this summer. The time also makes him the ninth-ranked American this year.