Per IU:
Men's soccer's Ofori Sarkodie and cross country/track and field's Wendi Robinson have been named the Indiana University winners of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, the conference office announced today.The award was established in 1914 when the Big Ten endowed a Medal of Honor to be given annually to a student in the graduating class of each university that demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics. In 1982, the Medal of Honor was expanded to include a senior female athlete from each institution.
This year, 22 student-athletes, representing 13 sports, have been chosen for the Medal of Honor. All of this year's honorees earned Academic All-Big Ten status, while 14 of the recipients were named All-Big Ten selections.
In addition, eight Medal of Honor winners were named Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees for their respective sports during the academic year, including Sarkodie.
Starting all 22 matches played, Sarkodie led the 2009 Hoosier squad to a 12-10-1 record and a trip to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Playing in central defense, Indiana recorded nine shutouts with Sarkodie in the lineup. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection, Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America third team.
"On behalf of the IU Soccer Program, we are thrilled and proud of Ofori being honored as Indiana's Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient," said head coach Todd Yeagley. "Ofori represented IU and our soccer program with class and honor. Ofori has the whole package for success. He is bright, hardworking, and possesses a wonderful personality that lights up the room. The future is bright for Ofori Sarkodie."
Robinson earned All-Big Ten and All-Region honors during the cross country season and was also honored as an All-Academic selections by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Robinson instrumental in leading the Hoosiers to a team berth the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November and recently competed at the NCAA Track and Field East Preliminaries in Greensboro, N.C. Robinson is an Academic All-Big Ten and CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honoree.
Indiana track and field director and head coach Ron Helmer said Robinson has been instrumental in the success of the program since the arrival of the current coaching staff in 2007-08.
"Wendi was one of the first athletes to really buy-in to the program," Helmer said. "Her successes helped show others on the team that all the hard work will pay off. Wendi has been a hard worker on and off the track, and this award is a great tribute to her career as a Hoosier."
