Wisconsin recognizes student-athletes at 2018 Buckinghams
April 24, 2018 | General News
Tenth annual student-athlete showcase of excellence celebrated Tuesday night
Football's D'Cota Dixon and Amy Davis from women's cross country and track and field and were named the male and female Student-Athlete of the Year award winners, while track and field standouts Georgia Ellenwood and Josh McDonald were awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor.
Dixon has been a leader for the Badgers on the field and a model away from the game. The Oak Hill, Florida, native was presented both the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award and the FWAA/Orange Bowl Courage Award this year for overcoming hardships in his youth to find success as a student and athlete.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Dixon will graduate next month with his degree in rehabilitation psychology. He will pursue a master's degree in counseling psychology while serving as a third-year starter at safety for the Badgers, a position that saw him named first-team All-Big Ten while leading the Badgers to a 13-1 record and Orange Bowl victory in 2017.
 A Madison, Wis., native, Davis has been a tremendous leader and teammate for the women's cross country and track and field teams for the past four years. Her positive attitude, energy and passion for the university is second to none and is contagious to those around her. Davis not only dedicates herself to serving her community with countless volunteer hours, but to her teammates when they are in need of support.
Davis helped the Badgers finish 10th at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships, marking the 20th time the program has earned a top-10 finish at nationals. During the indoor season, Davis ran the No. 3 time in school history in the 5000 meters before earning second-team All-America honors in the event at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
A seven-time All-American, Ellenwood will leave Wisconsin as one of the most decorated track and field athletes in program history. The Langley, British Columbia, native placed third at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships after winning her second Big Ten title earlier this year. She holds top-10 marks in 10 different events at UW, including school records in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Off the track, Ellenwood, a sociology major, is a three-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association All-Academic honoree and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
McDonald, a two-time honorable mention All-American, has been a tremendous student-athlete during his career with the Badgers. The Wentzville, Missouri, native ranks No. 2 in school history in the indoor shot put and No. 3 in the discus and is coming off of a podium finish in the shot put at the 2018 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships. McDonald earned honorable mention All-America honors as a sophomore in the discus and as a junior in the outdoor shot put. The biology major has also shined in the classroom as he is a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a three-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association All-Academic honoree.
A complete list of award winners can be found below:
STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Amy Davis - Women's Cross Country and Track & Field
D'Cota Dixon – Football
BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR
Georiga Ellenwood - Women's Track & Field
Josh McDonald - Men's Track & Field
UNSUNG HERO
(Displays hard work, positive attitude and determination in athletics, the classroom, as well as the community – nominated by coaches, then voted on by student-athlete population)
Zack Benning – Men's Cross Country and Track & Field
Alison Morrison – Women's Rowing
BUCKINGHAMS STAFF MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Nick Aures - Performance Nutrition
ACADEMIC MOMENTUM AWARD
(The National Consortium for Academics and Sport (NCAS) seeks to recognize student-athletes who have demonstrated significant academic improvement throughout their collegiate careers and celebrate them for having the ability to balance textbooks with playbooks)
Kelli Bates – Volleyball
Ryan Connelly – Football
Tim Davison – Men's Hockey
Lubern Figaro – Football
Suzanne Gilreath – Women's Basketball
Ethan Happ – Men's Basketball
Cooper Hodge – Men's Swimming & Diving
Dominque Lewis – Women's Track & Field
David Moorman – Football
Casie Pawlik – Women's Track & Field
Kyle Penniston – Football
David Pfaff – Football
Lamar Remy – Men's Tennis
Ari Saghafi – Women's Swimming & Diving
Alan Sweet – Men's Tennis
Maddi Tew – Women's Swimming & Diving
Andrew Van Ginkel - Football
PRESIDENT'S AWARD
(Honoring the SAAC and SAESO Presidents for their leadership)
Kelsey Grambeau – Women's Tennis
Erin Wagner – Women's Track & Field and Cross Country
PERSEVERANCE AWARD
Lily Hansen – Women's Rowing
Anthony Lyons – Men's Swimming & Diving
4.0 RECOGNITION AWARD
Eric Geunes – Men's Swimming & Diving
Emma Langer – Women's Cross Country and Track & Field
Elisabet Pietz – Women's Rowing
SMALL TEAM HIGHEST CUMULATIVE GPA AWARD
Men's Cross Country
Women's Tennis
LARGE TEAM HIGHEST CUMULATIVE GPA AWARD
Men's Track & Field
Women's Track & Field
IMPACT AWARD
(Highest number of community service hours per team)
Brad Davison – Men's Basketball
Nicholas Krawczyk – Men's Cross Country and Track & Field
D'Cota Dixon – Football
Michael Abrahamson – Men's Golf
Tyler Inamoto – Men's Hockey
Parker Brooks – Men's Rowing
Philipp Schilling – Men's Soccer
Stephen Boden – Men's Swimming & Diving
Alan Sweet – Men's Tennis
Paul Konrath – Wrestling
Niya Beverley – Women's Basketball
Annie Wagner – Women's Cross Country / Track & Field
Tess Hackworthy – Women's Golf
Lauren Williams – Women's Hockey
Madeline Rowe – Women's Rowing
Grace Krygier – Women's Soccer
Angela Morrow – Softball
Jessica Unicomb – Women's Swimming & Diving
Kelsey Grambeau – Women's Tennis
Sarah Dodd – Volleyball
ATHLETIC BOARD SCHOLARS
(Highest cume GPA for previous year, above sophomore standing, letterwinner, non grad student)
Matt Ferris – Men's Basketball
Olin Hacker – Men's Cross Country
Patrick Kasl – Football
Edward Wajda – Men's Golf
Jason Ford – Men's Hockey
Tom Walker – Men's Rowing
Noah Leibold– Men's Soccer
Eric Geunes – Men's Swimming & Diving
Chase Colton – Men's Tennis
Josef Dodridge – Men's Tennis
Olin Hacker – Men's Track & Field
Andrew Crone – Wrestling
Kendra Van Leeuwen – Women's Basketball
Emma Langer – Women's Cross Country
Eloise Healey – Women's Golf
Alexis Mauermann – Women's Hockey
Elisabet Pietz – Women's Rowing
Brianna Wynne – Women's Lightweight Rowing
Natalie Jacobson – Women's Soccer
Heather Rudnicki – Softball
Abigail Jagdfeld – Women's Swimming & Diving
Melissa Pick – Women's Tennis
Emma Langer – Women's Track & Field
Sarah Dodd – Volleyball
CHI ALPHA SIGMA
(National Student-Athlete Honor Society)
Paul Afflitto – Men's Men's Track & Field
James Bernard – Men's Rowing
Brett Connors – Football
Olin Hacker – Men's Track & Field and Cross Country
Isaac Hale – Men's Track & Field
Alexander Idarraga – Men's Rowing
Tyler Johnson – Football
Zach Lorbeck – Men's Track & Field
Cole Martin – Wrestling
Morgan McDonald – Men's Track & Field and Cross Country
Tomas Pitra – Men's Tennis
Mason Reinhardt – Wrestling
PJ Rosowski – Football
Benjamin Stone – Wrestling
Alexander Teague – Men's Track & Field
Tom Walker– Men's Rowing
Marissa Berg – Women's Swimming & Diving
Kennedy Blahnik – Women's Track & Field
Cheyenne Brandt – Women's Rowing
Eliza Clifford – Women's Rowing
Melanie Cross – Softball
Alexandra Fochios – Women's Rowing
Hazel Hertting – Women's Swimming & Diving
Natalie Jacobson – Women's Soccer
Kelsey Jenkins – Softball
Molly Jennerman – Women's Rowing
Claire Kelley – Women's Rowing
Stephanie Lombardo – Softball
Amber MacDonald – Volleyball
Madison Martin – Women's Swimming & Diving
Sydney Mcginnis – Women's Soccer
Chloe Miller – Softball
Renee Olley – Women's Rowing
Jessica Reinecke – Women's Golf
Emmy Sehmann– Women's Swimming & Diving
Sophia Shaver – Women's Hockey
Jennifer Whitehill – Women's Rowing
Lauren Williams – Women's Hockey
