PISCATAWAY, N.J. – On the heels of a NCAA Outdoor Championship appearance and collecting First Team All-America honors in the 400m hurdles, Rutgers track & field's Reanda Richards was named the Big Ten Track Athlete and Freshman of the Year on Wednesday.

The first-year Scarlet Knight is coming off a fourth place performance at the NCAA Championships becoming the first Rutgers track & field athlete since 2016 to earn first team national accolades.

The Roseland, New Jersey native won the NCAA East Regional title to advance to the national stage with a PR of 56.31. The time stood as the second fastest 400m hurdles time in the nation entering the NCAA Championships.

In May, Richards became the second Scarlet Knight in women's track & field history to win gold at a Big Ten Championship. She won her opening 400m hurdle heat at the conference championships, placing second overall during preliminary racing, before powering to a first place victory in the finals with a .01 second margin of victory.

Altogether, Richards won six 400m hurdle titles for the Scarlet Knights during the 2019 outdoor season. In addition to NCAA Prelim and Big Ten titles, Richards also captured the top times at the Metropolitan Outdoor Championship, Florida Relays, Virginia Challenge and USF Bulls Invitational.

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