MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department announced that wrestler Connor Medbery and volleyball player Lauren Carlini were named the 2016-17 Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor recipients. The awards were presented at the Buckinghams at the Overture Center on Monday night.
The conference’s most prestigious award, 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.”
Medbery finished the 2016-17 season with a stellar 29-2 record, including 10 wins over ranked opponents. The heavyweight earned his second All-America honor, finishing second to Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder of Ohio State at the NCAA Championship.
A native of Loveland, Colorado, Medbery also finished second to Snyder at the 2017 Big Ten Championships, earning wrestler of the week honors twice during the season. He was also named the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and finished with a career record of 112-25 (.818).
A four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Medbery will graduate in May with a degree in kinesiology.
A 6-foot-2 setter, Carlini earned four All-America honors during her career, including three first-team accolades. She was named the 2014 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and earned four first-team all-conference awards. The Aurora, Illinois, native was also a two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year and was named the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
A standout in the classroom, Carlini was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and earned Academic All-America honors in 2016. She will graduate in May with a degree in retailing and consumer behavior and a certificate in entrepreneurship.
During her four seasons, the Badgers qualified for four straight NCAA tournaments, advancing to at least the Elite Eight round each season. Wisconsin competed in the championship match in 2013 and lost to the eventual NCAA champions three different years. UW also never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten standings in her four years, winning the championship in 2014.
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