VCU hurdler Presten Augustin was named Most Outstanding Rookie by the Atlantic 10 on May 3 following the conference’s outdoor track and field championships. The announcement comes after Augustin delivered a strong performance at the championship, concluding a successful freshman season.
Augustin earned two medals during the A-10 Championships, winning gold in the 400-meter hurdles and silver in the 110-meter hurdles. He set a personal record of 51.49 seconds in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles, which is now recognized as the third-best mark in VCU program history.
Augustin is only the second athlete from VCU to receive this award since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference. The previous recipient was jumper Bashir Idris, who won it for his achievements in both triple jump and long jump during his freshman year. Idris completed his time at VCU with six medals across those events.
This latest honor marks Augustin’s fifth overall Atlantic 10 award for the current season. He was previously named Rookie of the Week once during indoor competition and three times outdoors before being selected as Most Outstanding Rookie Performer. Throughout this outdoor season, he secured three victories—all in his signature event, the 400-meter hurdles—and holds top-three all-time program marks for both hurdle distances.
Looking ahead to next year, Augustin will return as a sophomore aiming to build on his accomplishments from this season. In addition to individual events, he also contributed to VCU’s relay teams by competing with both the 4×100 meter team at two meets and with the 4×400 meter team at three meets.
