Drouin named Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year

Derek Drouin added to his trophy case Wednesday.

The Big Ten announced Drouin as the Jesse Owens Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year Wednesday evening. He is the first IU athlete to earn the award since running back Anthony Thompson in 1990.

He is the fifth Hoosier to receive the honor.

“I’ve had an incredible time representing not only Indiana University but also the Big Ten Conference during my time as a collegiate athlete,” Drouin said in a press release. “It’s a huge honor to be recognized by the Big Ten among so many stand out student-athletes and to receive an award named after Jesse Owens, one of the most legendary names in my sport.”

Drouin is the third track athlete to win Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year. The other two to accomplish the feat, Sunder Nix and Jim Spivey, were also IU track and field athletes.

The award caps a year in which Drouin won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the high jump event and was named the National Field Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor season.

Drouin earned a record five NCAA high jump championships during his time at IU.

He now looks to compete professionally, but will first compete for Team Canada at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia.