Michigan State Announces Major Athletic Award Winners
Michigan State Announces Major Athletic Award Winners
Jake Hildebrand named Alderton Male Athlete of the Year;
Leah O’Connor named Alderton Female Athlete of the Year.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Six Michigan State University student-athletes have been recognized for excellence both on the playing field and in the classroom, earning the school’s highest athletic awards for 2014-15.
The awards include the George Alderton Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Big Ten Conference Medals of Honor, Chester Brewer Leadership Award and Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award. A panel of administrators and head coaches selected the winners.
Junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand (Butler, Pennsylvania) was named the George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year, while senior cross country/track and field standout Leah O’Connor (Croswell, Michigan) earned George Alderton Female Athlete of the Year honors.
A first-team All-American, Hildebrand was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year after leading the conference in nearly every statistical category, including save percentage (.930), goals-against average (2.18) and shutouts (six). His save percentage ranked 10th nationally and his shutout total tied for second in the country.
O’Connor was named the Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Year, as well as the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. She helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA Championship in cross country and took first place at the Big Ten meet as MSU won the league title for the second year in a row. O’Connor has won 10 individual Big Ten titles in track, including three during the 2015 outdoor championships, as Michigan State won the conference championship for the first time since 1982. She also won the NCAA title in the mile run during the indoor championships and is looking to defend her national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase later this week at the outdoor championships.
Senior punter Mike Sadler (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and senior field hockey forward Abby Barker (Columbus, Ohio) were named Michigan State’s recipients for the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor. The Big Ten Conference’s most exclusive award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. The Big Ten Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1915 to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who had “attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.â€
Senior volleyball libero Kori Moster (Cincinnati, Ohio) was named the recipient of the Chester Brewer Leadership Award, becoming the fourth player in program history to win the award.
Senior defenseman Ryan Keener (Grand Blanc, Michigan) of men’s soccer won the Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award.
In addition, senior swimmer David Zoltowski (West Lafayette, Indiana) and senior field hockey midfielder Becky Stiles (Medford, New Jersey) were named the recipients of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for Michigan State, as previously announced by the conference office. One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by the institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree and from each university’s list, two outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected.
AWARD - WINNER
George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year - Jake Hildebrand (hockey)
George Alderton Female Athlete of the Year - Leah O’Connor (cross country/track and field)
Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor (Male) - Mike Sadler (football)
Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor (Female) - Abby Barker (field hockey)
Chester Brewer Leadership Award - Kori Moster (volleyball)
Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award - Ryan Keener (soccer)
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (Male) - David Zoltowski (swimming & diving)
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (Female) - Becky Stiles (field hockey)
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