IOWA CITY, Iowa — Senior Mehki Sargent (football) and redshirt junior Kate Martin (women’s basketball) have been selected as Iowa’s 2021 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners. The duo was chosen from Iowa’s list of 2020-21 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winners, which had a representative from each varsity sport.
Sargent was second on the team in rushing yards (76-432) and shared the team lead with seven touchdowns. Sargent ranks 20th in career rushing yards (1,740), joining the program for three seasons. He is one of 11 players to rush for as many as 20 career touchdowns and he is tied for 26th in career scoring. Sargent participated in the Hula Bowl at the end of the season and was named his team’s offensive MVP in that contest. Sargent was named a Permanent Team Captain for offense, and earned the Coaches Appreciation Award for both offense and special teams. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from both league coaches and media. He is a native of Key West, Florida.
Martin, an Edwardsville, Illinois, native, started all 30 games during the 2020-21 season after tearing her ACL her freshman season and playing limited minutes in a knee brace during her second season as a Hawkeye. After two seasons, she was able to play without the brace, averaging 30.7 minutes, seven points, 4.4 rebounds, and four assists per game. Against Illinois (Jan. 3), Martin’s nose was broken and she was removed for the second half of the game, but she never missed a second of practice or any games. After playing over six weeks with a mask, she took it off and had a career day, recording her first career double-double with a career-high 19 points and career-high 11 assists against Penn State (Feb. 18).
The Big Ten first awarded the Outstanding Sportsmanship honor in 2003. The student-athletes chosen were individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior, were in good academic standing, and demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Following is a list of Iowa’s past Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners:
| Year | Men’s Award Winner | Women’s Award Winner |
| 2003 | Stuart Waters, Men’s Tennis | Kristin Johnson, Softball |
| 2004 | Nate Kaeding, Football | Laura Chipman, Softball |
| 2005 | Joe Johnston, Wrestling | Jennifer Skolaski, Swimming & Diving |
| 2006 | Adam Haluska, Men’s Basketball | Liz Grajewski, Women’s Gymnastics |
| 2007 | Adam Haluska, Men’s Basketball | Kara Zappone, Field Hockey |
| 2008 | Bart van Monsjou, Men’s Tennis | Brittany Keyes, Rowing |
| 2009 | Christian Bierich, Men’s Tennis | Wendy Ausdemore, Women’s Basketball |
| 2010 | A.J. Edds, Football | Laura Cilek, Women’s Golf |
| 2011 | Chris Brant, Men’s Golf | Kelsey Cermak, Women’s Basketball |
| 2012 | Matt Gatens, Men’s Basketball | Betsy Flood, Women’s Track & Field |
| 2013 | Eric May, Men’s Basketball | Mareike Schrulle, Women’s Cross Country |
| 2014 | James Morris, Football | Theairra Taylor, Women’s Basketball |
| 2015 | Mark Weisman, Football | Melissa Dixon, Women’s Basketball |
| 2016 | Drew Ott, Football | Amy Ihm, Women’s Golf |
| 2017 | Nicholas Baer, Men’s Basketball | Sophie Plasteras, Field Hockey |
| 2018 | Spencer Lee, Wrestling | Hannah Stewart, Women’s Basketball |
| 2019 | Alex Marinelli, Wrestling | Hannah Stewart, Women’s Basketball |
| 2020 | Connor McCaffery, Men’s Basketball | Makenzie Meyer, Women’s Basketball |
| 2021 | Mehki Sargent, Football | Kate Martin, Women’s Basketball |