Katie Borchers, Kevin Metka Receive Big Ten Medal of Honor – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
April 13, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio —The Ohio State Department of Athletics held the 48th-annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner Monday in the Archie M. Griffin Ballroom at the Ohio Union to honor its student-athletes for their academic and athletic accomplishments. At the event, 538 Ohio State Scholar-Athletes were recognized and a number of senior awards were given out.
The Big Ten, the nation’s oldest collegiate conference, commemorates the 101st anniversary of a very unique tradition – the Big Ten Medal of Honor. The 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 years of the Medal of Honor, almost 1,400 student-athletes have earned this distinction.
The Ohio State winners of the Big Ten Medal of Honor are track and field/cross country runner Katie Borchers and Kevin Metka from the men’s tennis team.
“I’m speechless right now,” Borchers said. “I couldn’t be more grateful for those who helped me in my time here. Over the years, I adapted to the life of a student-athlete, accepted the challenge and I’m honored to receive this award.”
“It’s a huge honor to even be a finalist and I can’t believe my name even was mentioned,” Metka added. “I’m really proud, humbled and could not be more thankful.”
The finalist for the Big Ten Medal of Honor were Rhys Douglas (fencing), Alex Ivanov (soccer), Misha Koudinov (gymnastics) and Tim Wetzel (baseball) on the men’s side and Katie Chase (lacrosse), Taylor Kuehl (hockey), Celina Merza (fencing) and Chloe Meyer (rowing) on the women’s side.
Borchers, from Russia, Ohio, is one of Ohio State’s all-time best middle distance runners on the track and the most accomplished women’s cross country athlete in school history. She is the reigning Big Ten 800-meter indoor and outdoor champion, a four-event school record holder and Second Team All-American. On the cross country course, Borchers is the only two-time All-American and All-Big Ten honoree for the Buckeyes, last season leading the Scarlet and Gray to its second-ever appearance at the NCAA championships. Academically, Borchers is a 2014 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, 2014 Capital One Academic All-District selection, a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. Borchers is majoring in exercise science, with plans to attend graduate school for physical therapy.
Metka, a Worthington, Ohio, native and men’s tennis team veteran, has been one of the top doubles players in the country over the past two seasons. He finished runner-up at the NCAA Doubles championships last season and earned his first All-America honor. His 43 doubles victories last year were the second-most in a single-season in school-history. He recently became just the 12thBuckeye to record his 100th career doubles victory. Metka, an engineering major, is a two-time ITA Scholar Athlete, three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, five-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and earned his first All-Big Ten accolade last season.
The Corwin A. Fergus Memorial Award was given to Brady Gelvin (men’s track and field), Alex Osterhage (men’s swimming) and Melissa Rennie (softball). Fergus scholars are male or female student-athletes who have excelled in athletics, achieved academically (3.00 GPA minimum), demonstrated positive qualities of character and citizenship and shown potential for success in a graduate or professional program. Established in 1967, the award is given in memory of Corwin A. Fergus, a member of the Ohio State football team (1912-14), a graduate of the Ohio State School of Law and later a successful businessman. The award reflects his strong commitment to the pursuit of academic and athletic excellence and his positive contributions to society. The $5,000 postgraduate scholarships, which each are renewable for up to three years, can be utilized for graduate study or professional programs at Ohio State.
Softball pitcher Olivia O’Reilly was the recipient of the Pierce Phoenix Award, which is given to a student-athlete who has excelled in academics, athletics and personal growth attained through perseverance and hard work. The award is to be used to attend graduate or professional school at Ohio State, with preference given to someone who intends to enroll in the Fisher College of Business.
Men’s swimmer Andrew Braun was the recipient of the Men’s Varsity O Scholarship Award. The Men’s Varsity O award provides a male scholar-athlete with a one-time stipend of $4,000 for postgraduate studies at Ohio State. The ideal candidate maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher during undergraduate studies, earned a varsity letter and performed community service.
Rennie from the softball team also received the Leann Grimes-Davidge Award, which is a tribute to Grimes-Davidge’s contributions to athletics at Ohio State. The honor is given annually to a female athlete who reflects Grimes-Davidge’s outstanding qualities of athletic performance, scholarship, character, campus or community involvement and leadership. A member of the Ohio State women’s tennis team, Grimes-Davidge won four state and Big Ten titles. She graduated from Ohio State summa cum laude and received her master’s degree from Miami University where she served as the head women’s tennis coach.
Synchronized swimmer Heidi Liou and O’Reilly from the softball team received the M/I Homes Foundation Award, which has been awarded annually since 1976. The award was one of the first designed specifically to recognize and promote women’s achievements in intercollegiate athletics at Ohio State. It provides an outstanding female scholar-athlete $5,000 for postgraduate studies at Ohio State. The award is based on demonstrated athletic and academic success as well as community contributions through involvement in civic or university organizations.
Selections for The Woody and Anne Hayes Scholarship Fund were synchronized swimmer Samantha Golomb, Ryan Ivancic of the men’s soccer team, men’s lacrosse goalie Scott Spencer and Wetzel from the baseball team. The award, established in 1979, provides one or more varsity athletes with financial assistance for postgraduate studies.The recipients of this scholarship are student-athletes who have demonstrated academic achievement (3.00 GPA minimum) and leadership qualities.
Soccer goalkeeperIvanovwas honored with The John Dana Cole Fund. This award, established in 1966 by a gift through the Development Fund from John D. Cole, provides a one-time stipend for post-graduate studies at Ohio State. The recipient of this scholarship is a student-athlete who shows the promise of success in his/her chosen field and has demonstrated academic achievement (3.00 GPA minimum).
Meyer from the rowing team and baseball’s Wetzel were the recipients of Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to28 student-athletes every academic year, as each Big Ten institution annually presents two student-athletes (one male and one female) with one-time postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each. The applicants are evaluated based primarily on their achievements in academics.
The men‘s diving team was honored by Men’s Varsity O for having the most improved team grade-point average and themen’s tennis team was recognized for having the top team GPA among the men’s programs. On the women’s side, rifle earned the most improved team GPA award, with the cross country program lauded for having the top team GPA among all women’s teams.
The following Ohio State student-athletes recorded perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point averages:
Darryl Baldwin, Football
Marc-Antoine Blais Belanger, Fencing
Kayleigh Feldkircher, Dance Team
Cole Gorski, Track and Field
Cynthia Jennings, Rowing
Andrew Lindstrom, Swimming
Jacob Mandel, Track and Field
Minori Minagawa, Track and Field
Rachel Parker, Dance Team
Madison Riley, Spirit Squad
Sydney Roth, Track and Field
Brayden Seal, Soccer
Hannah Thek, Diving
Kaitlyn Willette, Cross Country
A complete list of the 2014-15 Ohio State Scholar-Athletes is available at the following link: go.osu.edu/SAlist2015.
