Hirsch, Kost receive Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award

July 01, 2021 | Football, General News, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Hockey, Men's Rowing, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Men's Track & Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Hockey, Women's Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Track & Field, Volleyball, Wrestling, Lightweight Rowing

Big Ten: Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners Announced

Wisconsin duo recognized for sportsmanship, behavior, academics and citizenship

By: Jessica Burda Leslie

MADISON, Wis. – The Big Ten announced on Wednesday that Wisconsin junior Seth Hirsch (men's cross country) and Tori Kost (women's lightweight rowing) were named the school's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2020-21 academic year.

These standouts were chosen from a group of 350 students honored throughout the academic year who had displayed positive sportsmanship, including 24 student-athletes at Wisconsin (noted below). 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.

A junior from Omaha, Nebraska, Hirsch led the Badgers at the NCAA Championships, taking 58th overall and leading the Badgers to an 18th-place team finish. He was also a member of UW's Big Ten Championship team, finishing 24th overall. Having a double major in finance investment and banking, and real estate and urban land economics, Hirsch is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree in both track and cross country (2018, 2019, 2020) and has earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic in cross country in 2019 and 2020, and in track in 2020 and 2021. Hirsch also earned 2021 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors for both cross country and track & field.

A senior from Brookfield, Wis., Kost rowed stroke seat and helped the Badgers finish third in the Lightweight Four (9:13.755) at the 2021 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships in addition to helping the openweight team take fourth place at the 2021 Big Ten Rowing Championships as part of UW's third varsity four entry that finished third. Kost also led her lightweight four to first and second-place finishes at the Lake Wheeler Invitational and two second-place finishes with the Varsity Four A at the Cardinal Invitational against openweight competition. At this year's Buckinghams, Kost was named a 2021 Eli Stickley BELIeve Award honoree for student-athletes who exemplify "being disciplined, loving, loyal, passionate and an uplifting, selfless leader" and the Perservance Award to honor student-athlets "who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics." Kost has also served as Vice President of SAESO (Student-Athletes Equally Supporting Others).