IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West announced its 2025 Track & Field Awards on Friday. To no surprise, decathlete Brad Thomas was named Men's Field Athlete of the Year.
 
After his record performance at the Big West Championships Multis, it was only fitting that Thomas received this honor. With a podium finish in nine of the 10 events, including four first-place finishes, he ended with 8,108 points—a school, meet, and overall conference record. Naturally, he finished first in the Decathlon and was named Men's Field Athlete of the Meet.
 
Outside of the Big West, Thomas wrapped up his phenomenal senior season last week at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. His second-place finish of 7,888 points etched his name in history as UC Santa Barbara's highest-placing decathlete ever. With the top-eight finish, he also earned All-America First Team distinction.
 
Thomas becomes the first Gaucho Men's Track & Field member to receive a Big West end-of-season individual award since Shyan Vaziri won Track Athlete of the Year in 2016. He is the first Gaucho to ever win Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Year.