With the NCAA Track & Field Championships ending this weekend the sports year for Purdue is now over until August. It also means it is time to hand out some awards, and appropriately, they go to track and field athletes.
The Male Athlete of the Year for Purdue goes to Raheem Mostert, who technically took part in three sports over the course of the school year. In the fall he rushed 11 times for 37 yards, caught one pass for 6 yards, and returned 11 kicks for 258 yards and a touchdown as a member of the football team. In the winter he was part of the Indoor Track team, where he was the Big Ten Champion in the 200 meters and the 60 meters, helping him earn Track Athlete of the Big Ten meet. In the spring he started running outside, where he won the 100 meters and the 200 meters at the Big Ten Meet and repeated his Athlete of the Meet honors. He was a Second Team All-American twice in both the Indoor and Outdoor season, as he advanced to the NCAA Championships in both.
Dani Bunch did him one better, and is the Purdue Female Athlete of the Year. In the indoor season she was a three-time First Team All-American with a fifth place finish at the NCAA championships in the shot put. The won her third indoor Big Ten Championship in the weight throw and was runner-up in the shot put and hammer throw. At the outdoor championships Bunch was the Field Athlete of the year with solid performances in the shot put and hammer throw.
Both Bunch and Mostert are now eligible for Big Ten Athlete of the Year.