Ryan Terefenko, Sade Olatoye named Ohio State’s Big Ten Medal of Honor recipents

Men’s lacrosse star Ryan Tefefenko and women’s track and field champion Sade Olatoye have been named Ohio State’s male and female Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients. The recognition is considered the most prestigious award handed out by the Big Ten annually.

The award was first given out in 1915 to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who had “attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.” Big Ten schools currently feature more than 8,200 student-athletes, but only 28 earn this prestigious award on an annual basis.

“I’ll never be able to put into words what receiving the Big Ten Medal of Honor means to me,” said Terefenko in a statement. “My time at Ohio State was the best years of my life, and being able to represent and compete for this athletic department and university has been the biggest honor of my life. It’s incredibly humbling knowing the number of people who have had such a massive impact on my life throughout my career here. None of this would have been possible without the support system that I had at Ohio State and my family. Thank you.”

Terefenko is just the third men’s lacrosse player to receive the award, joining Roger Beck in 1962 and Kevin Stephan in 2002.

“When we talk about what it means to be a Buckeye lacrosse player, Ryan exemplifies it all,” said head coach Nick Myers. “By every measure, he’s an outstanding and deserving recipient of this award. It’s a fitting way to end his collegiate career. Now, we’ll look forward to rooting him on as a professional and watch him have a positive impact of the sport as a coach.”

Sade Olatoye, will go down as one of the greatest student-athletes in Ohio State’s rich athletics history. She is a seven-time Big Ten Conference champion, national champion, five-time All-American, and winner of four prestigious post-graduate scholarships

“Sade is that combination of great athlete and serious student, and she is possessed with a will to succeed,” said Dennis, whose program has won half of its all-time total of Big Ten championships – four of eight – with Sade on the team. “She’s been the pulse of our team and has led us to heights unachievable without her.”

Congrats on one whale of an achievement for both of these great ambassadors for the Ohio State athletic department.

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