Freshman middle-distance runner Daniel Kuhn captured Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week for his efforts at the Arizona State Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Invitational on Saturday.
Kuhn ran the men’s 800-meter run in his first collegiate outdoor track meet and dashed to the fourth-best time in the nation at 1:47.80.
Though he placed second at the meet, his time was good for third in IU outdoor 800-meter history and first in the NCAA East Region.
The last IU freshman to set a top-10 800-meter run time was Tre’tez Kinnaird in 2014, with his fourth-best time of 1:47.99 at the Kentucky Relays.
The last Hoosier to win the Big Ten Outdoor Athlete of the Week was graduate Nolan Fife, on March 26, 2014, with his victory in the 3K Steeplechase at the Charlotte 49er Classic.
Kuhn also participated in the 1600-meter relay. IU finished fourth out of six teams in the event with a time of 3:12.47.
At the Big Ten Indoor Championships, Kuhn finished seventh in the men’s 600-meter run with a time of 1:18.70 .
He ran to an Indiana State Championship in the 800-meter run during his only year of competitive high school track in 2014.
Kuhn will compete at the Stanford Invitational next weekend in Palo Alto, Calif.
Taylor Lehman
