ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten announced on Thursday the 28 honorees named Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2015-16 academic year, including Illini honorees Kyley Simmons (women's basketball) and Alex Burge (men's golf). These standouts were chosen from a group of more than 350 students honored throughout the academic year who had displayed positive sportsmanship.
Simmons averaged more than 12 points per game throughout the 2015-16 season, also dishing 3.5 assists per game. She hit a State Farm Center record seven three-pointers to help lift Illinois over Lehigh in early December. Simmons started in all 30 games for the Illini and averaged almost 37 minutes on the court per game, a number that ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Simmons was given the Ralf Woods Free Throw trophy at the conclusion of the season and was also named the team's Defensive Player of the Year.
One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree, and two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected from each institution. All of the Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
2016 Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners
Illinois
Alex Burge, Golf
Kyley Simmons, Basketball
Indiana
Femi Hollinger-Janzen, Soccer
Sydney Clute, Track and Field
Iowa
Drew Ott, Football
Amy Ihm, Golf
Maryland
Anthony Papio, Baseball
Malina Howard, Basketball
Michigan
Adam Coon, Wrestling
Ronit Yurovsky, Tennis
Michigan State
Caleb Rhynard, Cross Country/Track and Field
Sarah Kovan, Soccer
Minnesota
Joey King, Basketball
Paige Palkovich, Softball
Nebraska
Austin Wilson, Wrestling
Tierra Williams, Track and Field
Northwestern
Max Chapman, Football
Christen Johnson, Basketball
Ohio State
Joshua Perry, Football
Sakiko Minagawa, Cross Country
Penn State
James Chakey, Lacrosse
Teddy Chase, Soccer
Purdue
Doug Welch, Wrestling
Kim Love, Soccer
Rutgers
Quentin Gause, Football
Racquel Zurick, Golf
Wisconsin
Adam Lauko, Soccer
Nicole Bauman, Basketball
