Male Athlete of the Year:
Though he does not compete in the most glamorous sports on campus, Simon Bairu absolutely dominated in cross country and track in 2004-05. The 5'8' junior from Regina, Saskatchewan became the first UW men's cross country runner to win the individual NCAA title since 1985 and helped the Badgers place second in the nation. Bairu's accomplishments helped him win the Big Ten Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.
On the track, Bairu recently shattered the school record in the 10,000 meters at the Cardinal Invitational this past Sunday. His time of 28:25.18 was a UW best since 1976 and was also the second-fastest time ever by a Big Ten athlete. This two-sport star quietly fell under the radar, but his glowing accomplishments warrant his selection here.
Honorable mention: Nick Van Sicklen, soccer
Van Sicklen, a senior from Madison, was selected for the 2004 NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region second team for the second time in his career after leading the Big Ten with 12 goals and seven assists. The tri-captain was selected to participate in the 2005 Adidas MLS Player Combine and was recently drafted by D.C. United. A three-time All-Big Ten player, Van Sicklen was also a four year starter for the Badgers. His season highlights include a College Soccer News National Player of the Week honor after his hat-trick performance against No. 9 Penn State and fourth in the Wisconsin record books with 76 points.
-Jon McNamara
Female Athlete of the Year:
The Badgers' team captain in 2004, MacLeod was selected U.S. College Hockey Online's National Defensive Player of the Year. The 5'4' defender from Alberta, Calgary, was a second team All-WCHA selection this season and ranked among the league's top scoring defenders. A two-time All-American, MacLeod joins Kerry Weiland and Meghan Hunter in UW history as the only skaters to earn All-America honors more than once.
MacLeod also won a silver medal as part of Team Canada in the 2005 World Championship. She doubled her season output scoring three goals in the WCHA tournament, including two in the final minute of the championship game vs. Minnesota, forcing overtime. She ranked ninth among the nation's defenders in points per game, and graduated with the highest career plus/minus rating in UW history (+84) and the most career short-handed goals (4). After four years of dominance on the ice for the Badgers, MacLeod has been named the Female Athlete of the Year.
Honorable mention: Carly Piper, swimming
Senior Carly Piper finished seventh in the finals of the World Championship Trials with a time of 8:45.58 in the 800-meter freestyle. Earlier this season, Piper earned her ninth career All-American award by placing fourth in the 500-yard freestyle during the NCAA championships. She is currently the Big Ten record-holder in 1,000 meter and 1,650 meter freestyle and 800 meter free relay and will be remembered as one of the most accomplished swimmers in Badger history.
-Jon McNamara
Men's Team of the Year:
The Badgers tied a school record with 25 wins and survived an unorthodox route to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament by beating an 11, a 14 and a 10 seed before losing to eventual champion North Carolina in the Syracuse Regional Final. Sophomore forward Alando Tucker provided the two most spectacular Wisconsin wins-his first was a put-back at the buzzer to conquer Indiana in front of a joyous Kohl Center crowd. Deciding that game-winner lacked in flare and difficulty, Tucker drove the length of the floor in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal against Iowa in 3.7 seconds before launching a 3-point runner and kissing it off the glass as time expired.
Yet, the team's greatest highlight was its epic comeback in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina State; the Badgers trailed by nine at halftime but refused to let the season end, starting the second half on a 24-7 run and never looking back. The Badgers finished No.10 in the country in the final Coaches Poll.
Honorable mention: Men's cross country
Boasting the individual NCAA champion junior Simon Bairu (first from UW since 1985) and a second-place finish in the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the Wisconsin men gave the ballers a run for their money. They will have to settle for second as they did in the championships-though helping the team's cause were senior Matt Tegenkamp and sophomore Chris Zolinsky who both ended with top 20 finishes and garnered All-American honors.
-Ben Hubner
Women's Team of the Year:
This time last year, we were writing about the most wins in school history. For the second year in a row, history has been re-written. UW set a new record with 28 notches in the win column falling just one-and one goal-short of their first-ever Western Collegiate Hockey Association conference title. The team picked up its most notable \first-ever"" as the Badgers earned the program it's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Though the Badgers fell to Dartmouth 4-3 in the NCAA Regional, the team picked up numerous individual awards. Seniors Engstrom and MacLeod were both Patty Kazmaier Top-10 finalists and All-America selections. Engstrom earned the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and MacLeod received the same award from U.S. College Hockey Online. Freshman Jinelle Zaugg was selected to the All-WCHA rookie team.
Honorable mention: Women's tennis
The 34th ranked women fell to No. 5 Northwestern in a valiant effort at the Big Ten Championships. The Badgers made up for the loss by earning their second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. The selection marked the third time in four years UW has earned an NCAA bid, as the Badgers were led by seniors Lindsay Martin and Katie McGaffigan and sophomore Caitlin Burke.
-Ben Hubner
Men's Coach of the Year:
Wisconsin men's basketball head coach Bo Ryan is undoubtedly the head coach of the year for any of the men's athletic teams on campus. Not only can Ryan have press conferences that run for 20-plus minutes because of his enjoyable stories from his college days, he took an underestimated team all the way to the Elite Eight this past March, which helped rejuvenate some buzz in the Big Ten conference. Coming into this season, no one had their eyes on the Badgers. Devin Harris was gone, and it was uncertain as to who was going to lead the team.
To make matters worse, the team had to go on without another starting guard, Boo Wade, who left the team and UW this past winter. So what was a coach to do? Stick to fundamentals and believe in the talent that he had. This is exactly what Ryan did. The Badgers put up another 25-win season, the same amount as last year's school record. Except for one loss to Illinois, they were perfect once again at the Kohl Center, or as it now should be called, the House that Bo Built.
HM-Barry Davis, wrestling
Davis led a surprising UW squad to an above .500 finish in Big Ten competition for the first time in 11 years as the Badgers finished the year 4-3-1 in the conference and 11-3-2 overall. Thanks to a four dual-match winning streak at the end the regular season, Wisconsin tied for fifth in the Big Ten tournament and finished in a tie for 15th-place at the NCAA Championships, a 14-place improvement UW also notched individual awards as juniors Tom Clum and Ryan Flaherty were named All-Americans.
-Betsy Golomski
Women's coach of the Year:
Under Henderson's direction, the UW women's tennis team is heading to the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years. This year's NCAA appearance is the seventh in Henderson's distinguished 11-year career at Wisconsin as the No. 34 Badgers finished the year 6-4 in the Big Ten and a 15-8 overall record. While success is nothing new to Henderson, her fearlessness in training and mixing up the doubles pairings is what sets her apart.
Following a 6-1 loss at Brigham Young University Feb. 25, Henderson began incorporating yoga into the Badgers' training regime and the results proved remarkable. Wisconsin reeled off seven straight dual match victories en route to ending the regular season on a 10-3 tear. Henderson also mixed up the doubles pairings though out the year in an effort to win the doubles point more consistently. Using the veteran leadership of seniors Lindsay Martin and Katie McGaffigan-formerly an outstanding doubles combo-to develop younger players such as freshmen Nicole Beck and Chelsea Nusslock and sophomores Caitlin Burke and Kaylan Caiati, Henderson has solidified the future of UW women's tennis.
HM-Karen Gallagher, softball
Gallagher has led an explosive Badger softball team to the program's first postseason trip in three years. After sweeping Illinois in Champaign, Ill., May 1, the Badgers assured themselves a Big Ten tournament appearance. Wisconsin wound down the year winning 15 of 17 games heading into the final weekend of play, smashing home runs and team records along the way. UW hit its 24th team home run, breaking the former record just 25 games into the season and broke the single-game school record for home runs, blasting five in one game May 3.
-Clint Robus
UW's Best Kept Secret:
Almost every student on campus knows how the Badgers did in football this past year, how tough it was to come so close against North Carolina in the NCAA basketball tournament or even how disheartening the women's basketball season was, despite some diamonds in the rough. What everyone does not know, however, is how amazing the UW men's runners were.
The men's cross country team was so good that fans and runners alike were actually somewhat disappointed with a second-place team finish in the NCAA Championship meet. The team has won the Big Ten title for the last five years. It has produced countless All-Americans and other honors. That is just the cross country team.
The men's track team, a good number who run cross country also, has dominated the Big Ten scene for the past five years, as well. The team won their fifth Conference Indoor Title and placed third at the NCAA Indoor meet. A powerhouse does not begin to describe these guys.
-Connor McKnight
Rookies of the Year:
Male Freshman of the Year: Joe Pavelski, hockey
This hockey season, freshman forward Joe Pavelski led the team in scoring with 45 points, the first freshman to do so since former Badger and current head coach Mike Eaves did so in the 1974-'75 season with 54 points.
Not only did Pavelski lead his team in scoring, but he tied Ohio State's Tom Frische for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association rookie point lead and with Nebraska Omaha's Bill Thomas for the national rookie point lead. He also was a co-honoree for the Badgers' Most Consistent Award, finishing his season with a plus-20 rating.
He was also named to Inside College Hockey's All-Rookie team, the WCHA All-Rookie team and the All-USHO team.
HM-Jeremy Sonkin, tennis
Jeremy Sonkin led the men's tennis team in fall victories. He went to the Big Ten Singles Championship, losing in the semifinals of the consolation bracket and won in the first round of the ITA Midwest Regional Championships.
Female Freshman of the Year: Jolene Anderson, basketball
Freshman guard Jolene Anderson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year for women's basketball, and was a third team All-Big Ten selection.
She set a freshman season scoring records for UW with 497 points, averaging 18.1 points per game, and a 85.2 free throw percentage.
She was also tied for third in Big Ten scoring (the only freshman in the top 15), fifth in 3-point field goals (1.92 per game) and ranked fifth in free throw accuracy.
Anderson was also the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since Theresa Huff averaged 14.1 points per game in the 1979-'80 season.
HM-Lynn Murray, soccer
Freshman goalkeeper Lynn Murray posted five shutouts this season, had a 1.07 goals-against average and recorded 87 saves, the fifth-most by a UW goalkeeper. She played in 22 games and was named to Soccer Buzz's All-Great Lakes freshman team and to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
-Maria Boncyk
Best Sibling Duo:
Adam and Nikki Burish, hockey
The first brother-sister combination to ever play hockey for Wisconsin, both contributed greatly to their respective teams' successful seasons.
Junior Adam Burish, drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2002, had an accomplished year as captain of the men's team, especially in crunch time. With five game winning and four short-handed goals, Adam displayed his clutch leadership throughout the season. As for junior Nikki, she helped lead the women's team to its first NCAA tournament appearance. With an impressive 33 points in 37 games, she was an offensive force to be reckoned with.
Honorable mentions: Rick and Michelle Bellford, track, and Alex and Lachezar Kasarov, tennis
Senior Rick Bellford was a consistent competitor in the triple jump all year, achieving a regional qualifying standard earlier this spring. Sophomore Michelle displayed a lot of talent, as well, competing in the long jump, 4 x 100 relay and the triple jump, which she attained a regional qualifying mark.
Senior Alex Kasarov was 13-18 in singles this year, taking on the best competition in the No. 1 spot. His sophomore brother, Lachezar, was 12-16 in the No. 3 spot. Their best work was together in doubles, however, as they went 12-12 and defeated the No. 1 doubles team in the nation, from Ohio State.
-Zach Kukkonen
