WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Senior Brionna Thomas was named the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week the conference office announced Wednesday. The award comes after the Florida Relays where she broke three school records with three times in the nation's top three.
Individually, Thomas broke her own school record in the 400-meter dash. She ran a time of 51.72 seconds, which is the fastest by a woman in the Big Ten since 2015. That time ranks No. 3 in the country this year and it is the best in the Big Ten.
In the relays, Thomas ran in the 4x200- and 4x400-meter relays. With the 4x200-meter relay, she ran the third leg of the team that broke the school record with a time of 1:32.38. That is the fastest in the country this year. In the 4x400-meter relay, she ran the second leg for the team that finished with a time of 3:28.52. That time ranks second in the country this year and is the third fastest in Big Ten history.
The weekly honor is the first of her career for the 11-time All-American. Last month, she was named the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor season after earning a pair of first team All-America honors.
Thomas makes it two meets in a row for Boilermaker women winning the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week award. After the UTSA Invitational, senior Symone Black earned the nod.
Thomas and the Boilermakers continue the outdoor season this weekend at the LSU Battle on the Bayou. The one-day meet is scheduled for Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, against LSU, Penn State and Iowa.