EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern's Kacie Komoto of the women's golf team and Sanjay Lumpkin of the men's basketball program have been recognized by the Big Ten as Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2016-17 academic year. The pair was chosen from a group of more than 300 exemplary student-athletes who displayed positive sportsmanship throughout the year.
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One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen 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.
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Komoto's career has spanned a golden age of Northwestern's women's golf. The Honolulu native helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of Big Ten championships, and four straight best-in-program-history results at the NCAA championships, culminating in this spring's surge to a national runner-up finish. She owns one of the best career scoring averages in the Wildcats record book, and two of the Top-8 single-season marks. The senior piled up three all-conference honors, earned a 2016 All-America nod from Golfweek, and received Academic All-Big Ten recognition three times.Â
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Lumpkin served as a two-time team captain for the Northwestern men's basketball program. Described by head coach Chris Collins as "the heart and soul" of the team, Lumpkin's career coincided with the program's rise to new heights. He ranks second in school history with 137 games played, fourth with 126 games started and 14th with 637 rebounds. This past season, he helped the team earn its first NCAA tournament appearance in school history. Off the court, he was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient while being named to the NABC Honors Court. Lumpkin earned his bachelor's degree in learning and organizational change and is working towards his master's in sports administration.
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2017 Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners
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ILLINOIS
Joe Spencer, Football
Jenna Miller, Women's Soccer
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INDIANA
Matt Schwartzer, Men's Cross Country
Amanda Cahill, Women's Basketball
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IOWA
Nicholas Baer, Men's Basketball
Sophie Plasteras, Field Hockey
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MARYLAND
Alex Leto, Men's Track & Field
Hannah Dewey, Softball
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MICHIGAN
Jake Butt, Football
Grace Choi, Women's Golf
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MICHIGAN STATE
Joe Cox, Men's Hockey
Allyssah Fitterer, Women's Volleyball
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MINNESOTA
Bakary Konate, Men's BasketballÂ
Temi Ogunrinde, Women's Indoor Track & Field
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NEBRASKA
Ben Miller, Baseball
Emily Wood, Women's Basketball
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NORTHWESTERN
Sanjay Lumpkin, Men's Basketball
Kacie Komoto, Women's Golf
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OHIO STATE
Josh Tublin, Men's Volleyball
Sandy Niehaus, Women's Tennis
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PENN STATE
Matt Stasiunas, Men's Swimming & Diving
Erika Spilker, Women's Lacrosse
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PURDUE
Matt Bouggy, Men's Tennis
Faye Adelaja, Women's Volleyball
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RUTGERS
Julian Pinnix-Odrick, Football
Tori Prager, Women's Soccer
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WISCONSINÂ
Vitto Brown, Men's Basketball
Sydney McKibbon, Women's Hockey
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One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen 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.
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Komoto's career has spanned a golden age of Northwestern's women's golf. The Honolulu native helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of Big Ten championships, and four straight best-in-program-history results at the NCAA championships, culminating in this spring's surge to a national runner-up finish. She owns one of the best career scoring averages in the Wildcats record book, and two of the Top-8 single-season marks. The senior piled up three all-conference honors, earned a 2016 All-America nod from Golfweek, and received Academic All-Big Ten recognition three times.Â
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Lumpkin served as a two-time team captain for the Northwestern men's basketball program. Described by head coach Chris Collins as "the heart and soul" of the team, Lumpkin's career coincided with the program's rise to new heights. He ranks second in school history with 137 games played, fourth with 126 games started and 14th with 637 rebounds. This past season, he helped the team earn its first NCAA tournament appearance in school history. Off the court, he was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient while being named to the NABC Honors Court. Lumpkin earned his bachelor's degree in learning and organizational change and is working towards his master's in sports administration.
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2017 Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners
Â
ILLINOIS
Joe Spencer, Football
Jenna Miller, Women's Soccer
Â
INDIANA
Matt Schwartzer, Men's Cross Country
Amanda Cahill, Women's Basketball
Â
IOWA
Nicholas Baer, Men's Basketball
Sophie Plasteras, Field Hockey
Â
MARYLAND
Alex Leto, Men's Track & Field
Hannah Dewey, Softball
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MICHIGAN
Jake Butt, Football
Grace Choi, Women's Golf
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MICHIGAN STATE
Joe Cox, Men's Hockey
Allyssah Fitterer, Women's Volleyball
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MINNESOTA
Bakary Konate, Men's BasketballÂ
Temi Ogunrinde, Women's Indoor Track & Field
Â
NEBRASKA
Ben Miller, Baseball
Emily Wood, Women's Basketball
 Â
NORTHWESTERN
Sanjay Lumpkin, Men's Basketball
Kacie Komoto, Women's Golf
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OHIO STATE
Josh Tublin, Men's Volleyball
Sandy Niehaus, Women's Tennis
Â
PENN STATE
Matt Stasiunas, Men's Swimming & Diving
Erika Spilker, Women's Lacrosse
Â
PURDUE
Matt Bouggy, Men's Tennis
Faye Adelaja, Women's Volleyball
Â
RUTGERS
Julian Pinnix-Odrick, Football
Tori Prager, Women's Soccer
Â
WISCONSINÂ
Vitto Brown, Men's Basketball
Sydney McKibbon, Women's Hockey
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