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Kneeshaw Named Big West Co-Freshman of the Year

By Staff | May 16, 2024

HONOLULU – Isabella Kneeshaw became the first ever Hawai’i track and field athlete to earn Big West Freshman of the Year honors Friday after an incredible first collegiate season.

Kneeshaw took home co-freshman of the year honors after winning the conference title in the 400m while anchoring a pair of Big West-title winning relay teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

The Tualatin, Ore. native is just the third Rainbow Wahine athlete ever to win a major postseason Big West award, joining teammate Alyssa Mae Antolin (2022 track athlete of the year) and Samantha Balentine (2013 field athlete of the year).

On the final day of the Big West Championships, Kneeshaw opened the day by helping the UH 4x100m relay team break the school record for the third time this year, anchoring a squad that ran a 45.03 in the final to win comfortably. The freshman then closed strong in the 400m to pull away for the title in 54.01 seconds to post the second-fastest time in school history.

Kneeshaw capped off her stellar meet by running the final leg of the 4x400m relay squad that took home the conference title in 3:39.47, coming within 0.37 seconds of the program record. She again ran a strong final closing stretch, pulling away in the final 100 meters once again to make the Rainbow Wahine the first team since 2017 to sweep both relays at the Big West title meet.