Badger quartet earns Big Ten honors
November 12, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 12, 2010
• Official Big Ten Conference release
MADISON, Wis. – Senior Aaron Nichols (Woodstock, Ill.) and freshman Chris Prince (Naperville, Ill.) were honored as members of the All-Big Ten Conference second team at the league’s annual banquet Thursday night.
A trio of Badger newcomers earned All-Freshman Team honors as Nick Janus (Deer Park, Ill.) and Paul Yonga (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) joined Prince on the all-rookie squad.
Nichols’ second-team All-Big Ten honors mark the first All-Big Ten award of the senior’s career. Nichols has started 18 games this season and currently has three goals and two assists for eight points on the season. The Woodstock, Ill., native was honored as a member of the 2007 Big Ten All-Freshman Team as well.
Prince joined Nichols on the All-Big Ten second team. The Naperville, Ill., native leads UW with 14 points on seven goals this season. He has played in all 19 games with 17 starts. Prince was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season after tallying five goals in a two-game span for the Badgers.
Janus and Yonga joined Prince on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Wisconsin and Indiana led the league with three freshmen honorees each, and Yonga and Prince were two of four unanimous selections.
Yonga is the lone Badger to have started all 19 matches and has two points on a pair of assists this season. Meanwhile, Janus has made 14-straight starts and 19 appearances. The midfielder made his first career start against Dayton Sept. 19 and has five points on one goal and a team-high three assists.
UW’s three awards mark the most rookie awards the Badgers have received since 2005 when Victor Diaz, Kenny Dix and Andy Miller earned Big Ten All-Freshman team accolades. UW also had three All-Freshman team members in 2004 in Nick Caronna, B.J. Goodman and Erik Ortega.
Also recognized Thursday was senior Jon Rzepka (Kentwood, Mich.), who was the Badgers’ recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second-straight year. One of Wisconsin’s tri-captains, Rzepka has played in 18 games for the Badgers and made 15 starts this season.
After advancing past defending Big Ten champion and No. 2 seed Ohio State on penalty kicks in the opening round, Wisconsin (4-12-3) faces Michigan (12-4-3) in the semifinal round of the 2010 Big Ten Tournament, hosted by Penn State in University Park, Pa., at noon (CT) Friday. No. 1 seed Indiana faces No. 4 seed Penn State in the second semifinal game at 2:30 p.m. (CT). Both semifinal matches will air live on the Big Ten Network.
In other Big Ten awards, Indiana’s Will Bruin was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and Ohio State’s David Tiemstra was the Defensive Player of the Year. Soony Saad of Michigan earned Freshman of the Year honors, and Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
