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B1G reveals winners for 2021-22 Male and Female Athlete of the Year
By Paul Harvey
Published:
With the 2021-22 athletic calendar officially closed, the B1G has awarded its winners of the Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards.
The winner of the B1G Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year is Minnesota wrestler Gable Steveson. Steveson becomes the 5th Golden Gopher to earn the winner, joining wrestler Cole Konrad (2007), wrestler Damion Hahn (2004), hockey star Jordan Leopold (2002) and gymnast John Roethlisberger (1993).
Steveson landed the award after another undefeated season on the wrestling mat. He went 18-0 on his way to B1G and NCAA titles for Minnesota.
Congrats to 🤼♂️ @gopherwrestling’s Gable Steveson: the #B1G Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year! https://t.co/gQN5Wum4vK
✅ Third-straight undefeated season
✅ Big Ten & NCAA titles
✅ Dan Hodge Trophy winner pic.twitter.com/zuLPXDkDOY— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) June 29, 2022
Wisconsin volleyball middle blocker Dana Rettke was the recipient of the B1G Female Athlete of the Year, her second time capturing the honor (2020). She is just the third-ever two-time recipient of the award.
Rettke was key in leading the Badgers to their first-ever national championship in volleyball. She was also named the 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year and set Wisconsin program records in hitting percentage (.422), blocks (751) and points (2,333).
Congrats to 🏐 @BadgerVB’s Dana Rettke: the #B1G Female Athlete of the Year! https://t.co/gQN5Wum4vK
✅ Two-time athlete of the year recipient
✅ AVCA National Player of the Year
✅ 3.41 kills/1.43 blocks per set pic.twitter.com/nK3uffitoD— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) June 29, 2022
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.