Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalists Announced

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Five men and five women have been selected as finalists for the 2025 Big Ten Medal of Honor at Ohio State. The men's finalists are Michael Adedokun (soccer), Dylan D'Emilio (wrestling), Kameron Nelson (gymnastics), Cody Simon (football) and Hayden Tobias (track and field), and the women's finalists are Leah Bertrand (track and field), Jenna Buglioni (ice hockey), Kailyn Dudukovich (soccer), Teresa Ivan (swimming) and Makenna Webster (field hockey).

The Big Ten Medal of Honor was established in 1915 and was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. It is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who has demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their college career.

The winners will be announced at the Scarlet and Graymies event Monday evening.

Leah Bertrand of the women's track and field team made it to the semifinals of the 100m at the 2024 Olympics as a member of Team Trinidad & Tobago. Bertrand is a seven-time All-American, including a three-time member of the first team. She's won five Big Ten Championships, including back-to-back 100m titles in 2023 and 2024 at the outdoor championships and three outdoor 4x100m relay titles in a row. Bertrand holds the program record in the 60m and 4x100m relay and ranks second in the 100m.

Jenna Buglioni captained the women's ice hockey team to its fourth straight national title game this season. She became the program record holder for game-winning goals in a season and career and tied the program record for career shorthanded goals. Buglioni finished the year with 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points and also earned WCHA All-Academic Team and Scholar-Athlete honors.

Kailyn Dudukovich led the country with 19 goals this season, one shy of the women's soccer program's single-season record. She also surpassed the program's career record for goals and points, finishing with 44 career goals and 98 career points. A first team All-American, Dudukovich was a MAC Hermann Award semifinalist and was the USC Scholar All-American of the Year.

As a team captain, Teresa Ivan recently led Ohio State swimming and diving to the third Big Ten championship of her career in Columbus, all while maintaining a 3.828 GPA in human resource management. She has been recognized as a CSCAA All-American and Scholar All-American and received First Team All-Big Ten accolades. Ivan also has represented Slovakia internationally at numerous World and European championships. In preparation to pursue a B.S. in nursing, she has been deeply involved with the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, the Richard J. Solove Research Institute and The Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute and she recently received the 2025 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award from the Big Ten.

Makenna Webster earned unanimous First Team All-Big Ten honors as a field hockey player last fall in addition to her selection as a Second Team All-American. The Buckeyes' leading scorer with 42 points, her play helped Ohio State to a 14-5 record and national ranking as high as No. 3 during the regular season. Webster finished her career No. 10 in program history in career points (104). After the field hockey season, she took her talents to the ice where she once again helped the women's ice hockey team reach the Frozen Four. Webster was fourth on the team in scoring with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists).

Michael Adedokun, the 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy winner as the top player in collegiate men's soccer, led Ohio State to the College Cup for only the second time in Ohio State history after the Buckeyes won both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. Adedokun is the first to win the Hermann Trophy at Ohio State.

Wrestler Dylan D'Emilio finished his Ohio State career with 103 overall victories and as a two-time All-American. The five-time NCAA Championship qualifier claimed fourth for Ohio State in the 2025 championships at 149 pounds.

Kameron Nelson is a seven-time men's gymnastics All-American, most recently earning All-America regular-season honors this year after leading the country on floor and vault during the regular season. Nelson made history earlier as the first gymnast in the world to compete two triple backs in a single floor routine. He won his second Big Ten vault title this past weekend and has earned All-Big Ten recognition each of the past four seasons. Nelson has earned OSU Scholar Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten and CGA Scholar All-American honors. Nelson competed in the 2023 Cairo World Cup for Team USA, qualifying for the finals on both floor and vault.

Cody Simon was a team captain for the 2024 football national champion Buckeyes and was presented with the Bill Willis Block "O" jersey for leadership, toughness, accountability and displaying the highest of character. His outstanding season included earning First Team All-Big Ten honors on a defense that was No. 1 nationally in both total defense and scoring defense. He led Ohio State in tackles with 112 and earned defensive player of the game honors in both the Rose Bowl win over Oregon and the CFP National Championship game win over Notre Dame.

Hayden Tobias of the men's track and field team is a five-time All-American in the shot put, including first team honors in 2022 and 2023 during the outdoor season. Tobias was the Big Ten shot put champion at both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2024, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors. He ranks among the top five performers in program history in both the indoor and outdoor shot put and has earned and Academic All-Big Ten honors.

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