Rutgers Stars Honored with Big Ten Sportsmanship Awards

Athletes Recognized for Excellence Across the Big Ten

On the final Thursday of the season, 36 standout athletes from the Big Ten conference received the annual Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. The honor spotlights players who blend top‑tier athletic performance with strong academics and community involvement. This year’s recipients demonstrate how dedication on the field can be matched by impact off it.

Rutgers Football Leader: Gus Zilinskas

Rutgers center Gus Zilinskas brings a résumé that highlights both grit on the gridiron and rigor in the classroom. Over his college career he started 41 games, including a streak of 38 straight appearances in the last three seasons. Zilinskas earned two honorable‑mention All‑Big Ten nods, was named All‑ECAC and placed on the Rimington Trophy watch list. As a graduate student studying performance psychology, he joined the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society and collected Academic All‑Big Ten honors four times.

Rutgers Swimmer Champion: Katherine Lang

Katherine Lang anchored Rutgers swimming and diving with both competitive prowess and team leadership. She contested backstroke, individual medley and relay events while serving as a two‑time captain. Lang also guided the student‑athlete community, rising from vice president to president of the Rutgers Student‑Athlete Advisory Committee in her senior year. Her academic path includes a public‑health major and a business minor, earning three Academic All‑Big Ten selections and the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship.

What This Means for Rutgers Athletics

Having two award winners underscores a culture of excellence that Rutgers can build upon after the graduation of Zilinskas and Lang. Their combined legacies in performance, scholarship and service set a high bar for upcoming players. The program now looks to the next cohort of leaders to continue the standard they established both on and off the field.