Vatne, Babb named Ohio State’s Big Ten Sportsmanship winners

Emaly Vatne of the women’s soccer team and Kamryn Babb of the football team were among 28 student-athletes conference-wide named Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2022-23 academic year, the conference office announced.

One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree, and two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected from each institution. All of the Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

Babb, a wide receiver from St. Louis, was a two-time captain for the Buckeyes and had one of the most memorable moments of the 2022 season. Babb endured five knee surgeries throughout his career and, thus, his on-field career at Ohio State has been marked by a series of stops and starts. However, against Indiana on Nov. 12, he caught an eight-yard touchdown – which was also his first career reception.

Off the field, Babb was a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He also had the honor of wearing the Bill Willis Block O jersey in 2022, which is given to the player who exhibits the Bill Willis traits of toughness, accountability and the highest of character. He also had the distinction of speaking at President Kristina M. Johnson’s investiture in 2021, one of just three Ohio State students presented with the honor.

Babb graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications and master’s in kinesiology. He now works full-time for Ohio State’s Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute.

Vatne was a captain for the women’s soccer team for the second consecutive season. She appeared in 17 matches this year and finished her career with 79 matches played. The Sterling Heights, Mich., native helped the Buckeyes to a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and the team finished the home portion of the year with a thrilling 1-0 overtime win over Bucknell in the opening round.

Vatne joined the Human Performance Collaborative this past fall and is continuing to find ways to help student-athletes both on and off the competition field.

2022-23 Ohio State Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winners included:

Baseball
Marcus Ernst

Men’s Basketball
Sean McNeil

Women’s Basketball
Taylor Thierry

Men’s Cross Country
Giovanni Copploe

Women’s Cross Country
Morgan Schmitt

Men’s Fencing
Paul Veltrup

Women’s Fencing
Julieta Toledo

Field Hockey
Grace Kim

Football
Kamryn Babb

Men’s Golf
Adam Wallin

Women’s Golf
Jillian Bourdage

Men’s Gymnastics
Luke Smigliani

Women’s Gymnastics
Raina Malas

Men’s Hockey
Jake Wise

Women’s Hockey
Sophie Jaques

Men’s Lacrosse
Jacob Snyder

Women’s Lacrosse
Caly O’Brien

Men’s Pistol
Jackson Leverett

Women’s Pistol
Amanda Ackerman

Men’s Rifle
Joel Potts

Women’s Rifle
Natalie Katsuyama

Women’s Rowing
Morgan Miller

Men’s Soccer
Brayden Durbin

Women’s Soccer
Emaly Vatne

Softball
Meggie Otte

Men’s Swimming & Diving
Karl Helmuth

Women’s Swimming & Diving
Meredith Moellering

Synchronized Swimming
Rose Homoelle

Men’s Tennis
James Trotter

Women’s Tennis
Shelly Bereznyak

Men’s Indoor Track & Field
Ty Fajardo

Women’s Indoor Track & Field
Adelaide Aquilla

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Dan Drellishak

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Addie Engel

Men’s Volleyball
Hudson Harris

Women’s Volleyball
Mia Grunze

Wrestling
Tate Orndorff.