MADISON, Wis. — Members of the Badgers' Class of 2024, two of the University of Wisconsin's top student-athletes have received the Big Ten Conference's highest honor.
Men's golfer Cameron Huss and women's soccer forward Emma Jaskaniec were named Tuesday as Wisconsin's recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor. The awards were presented as part of the 2024 Buckinghams, UW Athletics' annual awards show and student-athlete showcase.
The conference's most prestigious award, 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."
The conference's exclusive award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence. Only one male and one female student-athlete now receive this award per Big Ten institution.
One of the top golfers in UW program history, Huss is a two-time NCAA qualifier and was named to the conference's All-Big Ten First Team earlier on Tuesday as he closes a standout senior campaign. He won individual titles at both The Invitational at The Ford and the Hawkeye Invitational this spring as well as leading the Badgers to two team titles in the same tournaments. He's also earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors three times.
A perennial starter for the Badgers throughout his UW career, Huss has helped the Badgers set new school records in 18 (274), 36 (559) and 54-hole (839) team scores, in addition to ranking second in school history for the individual 54-hole record with 201. His current career low is 65-132-201 in four seasons at Wisconsin and with the NCAA men's golf selection show on Wednesday, he's likely on the brink of a third NCAA qualification.
Off the course, Huss is currently a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a 2022 Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar. His 3.245 cumulative GPA will also earn him his third-Academic All-Big Ten honor later this spring. He's completing his bachelor's degree in Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies and plans to pursue a career as a professional golfer.
Jaskaniec has been with the Badger women's soccer team since 2019 and secured a spot among the greats in the program's history. A dominant presence on the field and in the locker room, Jaskaniec started in 88 out of her 91 contests with the team.
Although Jaskaniec had a season-ending injury late in the 2022 season, she earned B1G Midfielder of the Year and earned United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-America honors. Jaskaniec led the conference with 10 goals and 24 points. She bounced back from her injury in her fifth year to score 12 goals on the campaign, which asserted her in eighth place in the UW record book for goals in a single season. Her 37 total goals placed her fifth on the career goals list. In her final season, Jaskaniec was named to the All-B1G First Team and the United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region, while picking up B1G Offensive Player of the Tournament.
Jaskaniec not only excelled on the field, but also in the classroom. She was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team four years in a row – 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Along with the conference recognitions, she made the CSC Academic All-District team in 2023 and CoSIDA Academic-All District team in 2022. Jaskaniec earned her bachelor's degree in business administration in December of 2023 in Marketing and Management & Human Resources with a certificate in Sports Communication with a final GPA of 3.694. Following graduation, Jaskaniec was drafted in the second round of the NWSL Draft to the Utah Royals FC.
