Lincoln – Women’s golfer Kirsten Baete and men’s cross country runner Mark Freyhof were honored as Nebraska’s Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners across all sports by the Big Ten Conference on Thursday, July 12.
The Big Ten announced the 28 Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners as the top male and female representatives from each of the 14 conference institutions. The 28 honorees were chosen from a group of 350 students honored throughout the academic year who earned Big Ten Sportsmanship awards in their respective sports.
Baete, a fifth-year senior from Beatrice, Neb., earned her second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance in 2022 after capturing a spot on the Big Ten All-Championship Team with a fourth-place finish. She added second-team All-Big Ten honors for her performance throughout the season, which included an individual tournament title at the White Sands Intercollegiate (Oct. 22-24, 2021).
In addition to her success on the course, Baete was one of Nebraska’s top performers in the classroom. A four-time WGCA Scholastic All-American and a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, she was one of just five Husker student-athletes across all sports to be named a Nebraska Outstanding Scholar in 2022. The four-time Academic All-Big Ten choice was also a 10-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. The elementary/special education K-6 major also excelled in the community, earning Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for women’s golf as a senior, after claiming five spots on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team from 2018 to 2022. She was also a Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award winner in 2019. She was the only golfer in the conference to be named an Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner in 2022.
Freyhof, a senior from Hamilton, Mich., produced equally impressive all-around credentials in his six seasons as a student-athlete at Nebraska. A USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region runner before competing at the 2018 NCAA Championships, Freyhof was a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and five-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He was also a 10-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll member. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Nebraska in May of 2020, and was chosen to receive a $7,500 Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship in May of 2022. He is pursuing his master’s degree in agriculture and biological systems engineering. He was also a four-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. He was the only cross country runner in the conference to be named an Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner in 2022.
One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution 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.
2021-22 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Awards
Nebraska
Mark Freyhof, Cross Country
Kirsten Baete, Women’s Golf
Illinois
Taylor Jackson, Baseball
Lakyn Wagoner, Softball
Indiana
Thomas Allen, Football
Ali Patberg, Women’s Basketball
Iowa
Patrick McCaffery, Men’s Basketball
Bailey Ortega, Volleyball
Maryland
Anthony Pecorella, Football
Maddie Naumann, Volleyball
Michigan
Andrew Vastardis, Football
Danielle Rauch, Women’s Basketball
Michigan State
Farai Mutatu, Men’s Soccer
Mary Lewis, Women’s Tennis
Minnesota
Eric Curry, Men’s Basketball
Abbie Nylin, Women’s Gymnastics
Northwestern
Deng Deng Kur, Men’s Soccer
Hannah McColgan, Women’s Tennis
Ohio State
Dexter Roettker, Men’s Gymnastics
Katie Pyle, Field Hockey
Penn State
John Harrar, Men’s Basketball
Natalie Heising, Women’s Hockey
Purdue
Isaiah Martin, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Marissa Hornung, Volleyball
Rutgers
Bobby Russo, Men’s Lacrosse
Belle Huang, Women’s Gymnastics
Wisconsin
Adam Wehking, Men’s Rowing
Bianca Stubler, Women’s Track & Field
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