May 10, 2013
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa recently announced that Hawkeye seniors Javier Balboa and Morgan Johnson have been named Iowa’s 2013 Big Ten Medal of Honor winners.
First awarded in 1914, 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. The Big Ten will announce the Medal of Honor award winners on June 5.
Balboa earned his first All-America honors in men’s gymnastics this year, placing sixth in the all-around and eighth on the still rings at the NCAA Championships. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, he is Iowa’s first all-around All-American since 2005 and the first to earn All-America honors in multiple events since former Hawkeye Michael Reavis in 2005. The 2013 Big Ten still rings champion and first team All-Big Ten honoree, Balboa is a three-time Dean’s List student, a two-time academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time UI President’s Committee on Athletics medallion winner. He earned Iowa’s Dick Holzaepfel Most Valuable Gymnast honor in 2012, and will graduate with a B.A. in economics in May. He was recently named Iowa’s nominee for the 2013 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award.
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Senior Javier Balboa |
Johnson never missed a game during her four-year career with the Hawkeye women’s basketball team. The Platte City, Mo., native set the school record for blocks, career starts and career games played. She ends her career ranked fourth all-time at Iowa for career rebounds and ninth all-time in career scoring. Johnson is a two-time second team All-Big Ten selection by conference coaches and media. A four-year letterwinner and NCAA tournament competitor, Johnson is a four-time Dean’s List student, three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a three-time President’s Committee on Athletics medallion winner. She will graduate in May with a B.S. in human physiology.