The Big Ten recognized 47 Iowa student-athletes by giving them Distinguished Scholar Awards.

Eleven of the Hawkeye honorees maintained 4.0 grade-point averages during the 2012-13 academic year: track and field/cross country’s Mareike Schrulle, Jocelyn Todd, Sarah Ryan, and Kirsten Weismantle; field hockey’s Brynn Gitt, Niki Schultheis, and Marike Stribos; rowing’s Melissa Dawkins and Susie Stralina; soccer’s Jade Grimm; and Gigi DiGrazia of women’s golf.

The Distinguished Scholar Award is presented to student-athletes who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.7 in the previous academic year. The honorees must be letterwinners and in at least their second academic year.

The following athletes also received the Distinguished Scholar Award:

Samantha Logic and Kathryn Reynolds, women’s basketball; Kelsey Hart and Lena Placzek, women’s cross country/track and field; Sarah Drake, field hockey; James Morris, football; Javier Balboa, men’s gymnastics; Emma Willis, women’s gymnastics; Caitlin Lawrence and Mackenzie Norton, rowing; Allie Adam, Kiley Beck, Caitlin Brown and Katie Nasenbenny, women’s soccer; Ashley Akers, Malloree Grove and Bradi Wall, softball; Sean Abbas, Dustin Rhoads, Mike Vinyard and Donny Warren, men’s swimming and diving; April Allen, Heather Arseth, Elaine Boosalis, Elise Borja, Joelle Christy, Abby Grilli and Hannah Maher, women’s swimming and diving; Garret Dunn, men’s tennis; Keaton Rickles and Ben Stancombe, men’s track and field; Courtney Fritz, women’s track and field; Erin Leppek, Emily Yanny and Bethany Yeager, volleyball.