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Ohio State superstar Kyle Snyder has been awarded Big Ten Medal of Honor

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by Ohio State University

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Ohio State University Athletic Department announced wrestling senior Kyle Snyder and women's basketball senior Kelsey Mitchell have been awarded the prestigious Big Ten 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." Big Ten schools currently feature almost 9,500 student-athletes, but only 28 earn this prestigious award on an annual basis. In the 100-plus years of the Medal of Honor, almost 1,400 student-athletes have earned this distinction.


Snyder is widely-considered one of the most accomplished collegiate wrestlers of all-time. Snyder is the only American to ever finish college as a three-time NCAA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time World Champion. He lifted the Buckeyes to Big Ten titles in three of his four seasons and reached the top of the heap as 2015 NCAA team champions. Snyder has also been named an NWCA Academic All-American in each of the past three seasons.


Just last week, he won the 2018 AAU Sullivan Award, presented to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Snyder became just the fourth wrestler to seize the prestigious honor, joining fellow Olympic gold medalists John Smith (1990), Bruce Baumgartner (1995) and Rulon Gardner (2000).


The Woodbine, Md., native is a two-time OSU male Athlete of the Year and concluded his collegiate career with an overall record of 75-5, including a lone loss in the last three seasons combined.


Mitchell finished her career as the program's first four-time All-American and the NCAA's second all-time leading scorer with 3,402 career points. She also made 497 career three-pointers which is 56 more than any other female in NCAA history. Mitchell owns 30 OSU, Big Ten or NCAA records and is just one of four players in NCAA history with more than 3,000 points and 500 assists.


The Cincinnati native was just the second Buckeye to earn first team All-Big Ten honors four times and she was a three-time Big Ten Player of the Year. Mitchell averaged 25.7 points, 4.7 assists and 4.0 three-pointers over the three wins in this year's Big Ten Tournament to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.


For her career, Mitchell was a part of 106 wins, two Big Ten Championships, a Big Ten Tournament title and made the NCAA Tournament all four years.

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