Wilimovsky, Martin Fall Short in Bid for Big Ten Athlete of the Year

ROSEMONT, Ill. –Ohio State wrestler Logan Stieber was named the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year and Maryland lacrosse standout Taylor Cummings was tabbed the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, the conference announcedon Wednesday. Stieber and Cummings combined to record four individual national championships, three NCAA team titles, seven All-America honors, four individual Big Ten Championships and 13 individual postseason conference awards during their illustrious careers.

Stieber is the fourth Ohio State student to win Male Athlete of the Year accolades, following basketball standout Evan Turner in 2010, gymnast Blaine Wilson in 1997 and football player Eddie George in 1996. Stieber capped his record-breaking career in March by becoming just the fourth wrestler in NCAA history to win four individual national titles. In the process, he also helped the Buckeyes to their first NCAA team title in the 94-year history of the sport in Columbus. His accomplishments include becoming the first wrestler in the history of the Big Ten to win four NCAA titles and the first Buckeye to win the Dan Hodge Trophy, presented to the nation’s top wrestler. A four-time Big Ten Champion, Stieber finished his career on a 50-match winning streak dating back to December 2013.

In Maryland’s inaugural season in the Big Ten, Cummings becomes the first Terrapin to be voted the conference’s Female Athlete of the Year. She was the 2015 Tewaaraton and Honda Award recipient and a three-time first team All-American. The midfielder led the Terrapins with 37 assists, 100 points, 41 ground balls, 143 draw controls and 36 caused turnovers in 2015 as she helped lead the team to its second straight national title. Cummings was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and earned All-Big Ten honors this season, and picked up the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.

Cummings and Stieber were among a field of heralded nominees for the annual conference honors that included six individual national champions and five team national champions. The field included 27 All-Americans, as well as six national player of the year recipients.                                                                               

The Big Ten Conference has recognized a Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year since 1982 when Indiana’s Jim Spivey earned the inaugural award. The conference first honored a Female Athlete of the Year in 1983, with Michigan State’s Judi Brown collecting the initial award. The Big Ten Athletes of the Year are selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submitted by each institution.

The complete list of 2015 Athlete of the Year nominations, as well as the list of all-time winners for each award, can be found below.
2015 BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

School                      Male Nominee                                                   Female Nominee

Illinois                       Tyler Jay (baseball)                                            Stephanie Richartz (track & field)
Indiana                     Tevin Coleman (football)                                Jessica Parratto (swimming & diving)
Iowa                          Brandon Scherff (football)                             Samantha Logic (basketball)
Maryland                 Brad Craddock (football)                                 Taylor Cummings (lacrosse)
Michigan                  Zach Hyman (hockey)                                      Sierra Romero (softball)
Michigan State      Jake Hildebrand (hockey)                               Leah O’Connor (cross country/track & field)
Minnesota              Luca Wieland (track & field)                           Amanda Zahui B. (basketball)
Nebraska                 Robert Kokesh (wrestling)                             Liz Kuhlkin (bowling)
Northwestern     Jordan Wilimovsky (swimming & diving)  Hannah Kim (golf)
Ohio State               Logan Stieber (wrestling)                               Ashley Bauer (rowing)
Penn State              Matt Brown (wrestling)                                   Micha Hancock (volleyball)
Purdue                     Steele Johnson (swimming & diving)         Devynne Charlton (track & field)
Rutgers                    Anthony Ashnault (wrestling)                      Betnijah Laney (basketball)
Wisconsin                Frank Kaminsky (basketball)                         Ivy Martin (swimming & diving)
BIG TEN JESSE OWENS MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

1982 – Jim Spivey, Indiana, track and field/cross country
1983 – Ed Banach, Iowa, wrestling
1984 – Sunder Nix, Indiana, track and field
1985 – Barry Davis, Iowa, wrestling
1986 – Chuck Long, Iowa, football
1987 – Steve Alford, Indiana, basketball
1988 – Jim Abbott, Michigan, baseball
1989 – Glen Rice, Michigan, basketball
1990 – Anthony Thompson, Indiana, football
1991 – Mike Barrowman, Michigan, swimming
1992 – Desmond Howard, Michigan, football
1993 – John Roethlisberger, Minnesota, gymnastics
1994 – Glenn Robinson, Purdue, basketball
1995 – Tom Dolan, Michigan, swimming
1996 – Eddie George, Ohio State, football
1997 – Blaine Wilson, Ohio State, gymnastics
1998 – Charles Woodson, Michigan, football
1999 – Luke Donald, Northwestern, golf
2000 – Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, football
2001 – Ryan Miller, Michigan State, ice hockey
2002 – Jordan Leopold, Minnesota, ice hockey
2003 – Amer Delic, Illinois, tennis (co)
2003 – Matt Lackey, Illinois, wrestling (co)
2004 – Damion Hahn, Minnesota, wrestling
2005 – Luis Vargas, Penn State, gymnastics
2006 – Peter Vanderkaay, Michigan, swimming
2007 – Cole Konrad, Minnesota, wrestling
2008 – Brent Metcalf, Iowa, wrestling
2009 – Jake Herbert, Northwestern, wrestling
2010 – Evan Turner, Ohio State, basketball
2011 – David Boudia, Purdue, diving
2012 – Draymond Green, Michigan State, basketball
2013 – Derek Drouin, Indiana, track and field
2014 – David Taylor, Penn State, wrestling
2015 – Logan Stieber, Ohio State, wrestling
BIG TEN FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

1983 – Judi Brown, Michigan State, track and field
1984 – Lisa Ishikawa, Northwestern, softball
1985 – Cathy Branta, Wisconsin, cross country/track
1986 – Stephanie Herbst, Wisconsin, cross country/track
1987 – Jennifer Averill, Northwestern, field hockey/lacrosse
1988 – Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country
1989 – Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country
1990 – Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country
1991 – Julie Farrell-Ovenhouse, Michigan State, diving (co)
1991 – Joy Holmes, Purdue, basketball (co)
1992 – MaChelle Joseph, Purdue, basketball
1993 – Lara Hooiveld, Michigan, swimming
1994 – Kristy Gleason, Iowa, field hockey
1995 – Laura Davis, Ohio State, volleyball
1996 – Olga Kalinovskaya, Penn State, fencing
1997 – Kathy Butler, Wisconsin, track and field (co)
1997 – Gretchen Hegener, Minnesota, swimming (co)
1998 – Sara Griffin, Michigan, softball
1999 – Stephanie White-McCarty, Purdue, basketball
2000 – Lauren Cacciamani, Penn State, volleyball
2001 – Katie Douglas, Purdue, basketball
2002 – Christie Welsh, Penn State, soccer
2003 – Perdita Felicien, Illinois, track and field
2004 – Kelly Mazzante, Penn State, basketball
2005 – Jennie Ritter, Michigan, softball
2006 – Tiffany Weimer, Penn State, soccer
2007 – Jessica Davenport, Ohio State, basketball
2008 – Hannah Nielsen, Northwestern, lacrosse
2009 – Maria Hernandez, Purdue, golf
2010 – Megan Hodge, Penn State, volleyball
2011 – Shannon Smith, Northwestern, lacrosse
2012 – Christina Manning, Ohio State, track and field
2013 – Amanda Kessel, Minnesota, ice hockey
2014 – Dani Bunch, Purdue, track and field
2015 – Taylor Cummings, Maryland, lacrosse

Swimming news courtesy of Big Ten Conference.