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IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa graduate Megan Gustafson has been named the 2018-19 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Gustafson is the first Iowa student since Kristy Gleason (field hockey) in 1994 to win the award. She is the eighth Big Ten basketball student-athlete to claim the honor.
Gustafson ended her career as the most decorated Hawkeye in program history. She is the first Big Ten student to be named consensus national player of the year (Associated Press, ESPN, Naismith, USBWA). She was also named the Honda Sport Award winner for basketball and was one of three finalists for the Honda Cup.
A native of Port Wing, Wisconsin, Gustafson owns 16 Iowa school records, including career marks for points (2,804) and rebounds (1,460). Gustafson led the nation in five categories as a senior, including points per game (27.8), field goal percentage (69.9), total points (1,001), and double-doubles (33). She also holds conference career records for rebounds (1,460), field goal percentage (.657), and double-doubles (88).
Gustafson and the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, Bo Nickal (Penn State), were among a field of nominees that included 11 national champions, 25 All-Americans, 16 Big Ten champions, 14 individuals who won Big Ten Player of the Year honors, and six who collected a national player of the year accolade.
The Big Ten Conference has recognized a Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year since 1982 and first honored a Female Athlete of the Year in 1983. The Big Ten Athletes of the Year are selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submitted by each institution.
