Alabama men’s track and field freshman Kirani James was named the Southeastern Conference Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year, while women’s track and field freshman Krystal Schade was named the SEC Women’s Freshman Field Athlete of the Year, the SEC announced Thursday.

Schade became the first Alabama athlete to earn an SEC athlete of the year award in any category.

“This is really exciting to see that all this hard work is paying off,” Schade said. “My coaches have helped me out tremendously this year with more advanced techniques and training. I also have a great trainer that keeps me healthy throughout the season, and I am thankful for all they do.”

At the SEC Championships, which were held Feb. 26-28, James earned All-SEC honors by finishing second in the 400-meter dash with a NCAA automatic qualifying and personal-best time of 45.24 seconds. His time shattered his indoor Junior World Record, as well as his Alabama school record.

At the same meet, Schade earned All-SEC honors by finishing second in the high jump with a NCAA provisional qualifying leap of 5-10 1/2.

James led the Alabama 4×400 meter relay to a third place finish, its highest placing at the SEC Championships since 1999, while Schade, is currently tied for 13th in the nation in the high jump, has cleared NCAA provisional qualifying marks on four separate occasions this season.

Next up for James, Schade and the rest of the Alabama squad are the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Ark.