Athlete of the Year Nominees: Card and Hayes
June 20, 2016 | General News, Men's Basketball, Women's Track & Field
Student-athletes nominated for success in their respective sports
The Badgers enjoyed success across a number of sports in 2015-16, so UWBadgers.com is honoring the student-athletes, teams, performances and moments that made for another special season at Wisconsin. Over the span of a few weeks, we'll unveil the best of the Badgers in five categories: Big Ten Medal of Honor (June 14-17), Athlete of the Year (June 20-24), Team of the Year (June 27-July 2), Game of the Year (July 5-11) and Moment of the Year (July 12-20). Today, we highlight Athlete of the Year nominees Kelsey Card and Nigel Hayes.
Big Ten Medal of Honor Nominees
June 20: Kelsey Card & Nigel Hayes
June 21:
June 22:
June 23:
June 24:
MADISON, Wis. – Today we feature two Athlete of the Year nominees in Kelsey Card from women's track and field, and Nigel Hayes from men's basketball.
Kelsey Card, Women's Track & Field
Card enjoyed a historic season for Wisconsin, becoming the first Badger to win an NCAA title in a field event with her victory in the discus at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Card won the national title with a throw of 208 feet, 5 inches, which ranks No. 5 in meet history and ranked her as the No. 7 performer in NCAA history.
The only woman in collegiate history to throw the shot put more than 60 feet and the discus and hammer more than 200 feet, Card also finished fourth in the shot put at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships, as she wrapped up her UW career with seven first-team All-America honors.
At the 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Card single-handily scored 26 points for the Badgers. She won the shot put with a toss of 59-9 1/2 and the discus with a mark of 204-2, both meet records, to collect the sixth and seventh Big Ten titles of her career.
The 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and the 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Championships, Card also finished third in the hammer throw, an event she only competed in three times during her senior year, with a lifetime best throw of 202-4. That mark ranks second in school history.
The Plainview, Illinois, native became the first woman in Big Ten history to throw over 60 feet in the shot put with a mark of 60-10 ¾, which she recorded on senior day at the Wisconsin Twilight.
During the indoor season, Card finished fifth in the shot put at the national meet with a mark of 57-9 to earn first-team All-America honors. She also placed 13th in the weight throw at the NCAA indoor championships with a heave of 64-10 1/2.
Card swept the throwing events at the 2016 Big Ten Indoor Championships, winning the shot put with a heave of 57-7 and the weight throw with a school record mark of 72 7 3/4.
The 2016 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, Card departs UW as the Big Ten record holder in the outdoor shot put and discus. She holds school records in the indoor shot put, weight throw, outdoor shot put and discus.
This year's recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor from Wisconsin, Card earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times during her collegiate career. Card was also the school's 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
Card's season isn't complete, as she will compete in both the shot put and discus at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, July 1-10, in Eugene, Oregon. She holds the Olympic standard in both the shot put and discus and would advance to the 2016 Rio Olympics with a top-three finish in either event at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Nigel Hayes, Men's Basketball
Hayes continued to establish himself as one of the most accomplished players in Wisconsin basketball history last season as a junior. A consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection, Hayes started all 35 games for the Badgers and finished the regular season tied for fifth in the Big Ten averaging 16.5 points per game. He also recorded 5.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 assists per game.
Hayes was crucial in sparking a remarkable mid-season turnaround by the Badgers that saw the group go from 9-9 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten on Jan. 13 to winning 13 of the final 16 games and climbing to finish third in the conference standings and top 40 in the RPI. That run included wins over No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 8 Iowa.
Wisconsin earned its 18th-consecutive berth to the NCAA tournament, which ranks as the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history. With wins over No. 10 seed Pittsburgh and second-seeded Xavier, the Badgers advanced to the Sweet 16. UW became the only team in the nation to advance to the Sweet 16 in five of the last six seasons.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Hayes has played in 113 career games and has started 75 of them for the Cardinal and White.
Not only did Hayes become just the fifth player in program history to accumulate 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists, but he joined Michael Finley as the only Badgers in program history to surpass those milestones by their junior seasons.
Big Ten Medal of Honor Nominees
June 20: Kelsey Card & Nigel Hayes
June 21:
June 22:
June 23:
June 24:
MADISON, Wis. – Today we feature two Athlete of the Year nominees in Kelsey Card from women's track and field, and Nigel Hayes from men's basketball.
Kelsey Card, Women's Track & Field
Card enjoyed a historic season for Wisconsin, becoming the first Badger to win an NCAA title in a field event with her victory in the discus at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Card won the national title with a throw of 208 feet, 5 inches, which ranks No. 5 in meet history and ranked her as the No. 7 performer in NCAA history.
The only woman in collegiate history to throw the shot put more than 60 feet and the discus and hammer more than 200 feet, Card also finished fourth in the shot put at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships, as she wrapped up her UW career with seven first-team All-America honors.
At the 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Card single-handily scored 26 points for the Badgers. She won the shot put with a toss of 59-9 1/2 and the discus with a mark of 204-2, both meet records, to collect the sixth and seventh Big Ten titles of her career.
The 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and the 2016 Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Championships, Card also finished third in the hammer throw, an event she only competed in three times during her senior year, with a lifetime best throw of 202-4. That mark ranks second in school history.
The Plainview, Illinois, native became the first woman in Big Ten history to throw over 60 feet in the shot put with a mark of 60-10 ¾, which she recorded on senior day at the Wisconsin Twilight.
During the indoor season, Card finished fifth in the shot put at the national meet with a mark of 57-9 to earn first-team All-America honors. She also placed 13th in the weight throw at the NCAA indoor championships with a heave of 64-10 1/2.
Card swept the throwing events at the 2016 Big Ten Indoor Championships, winning the shot put with a heave of 57-7 and the weight throw with a school record mark of 72 7 3/4.
The 2016 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, Card departs UW as the Big Ten record holder in the outdoor shot put and discus. She holds school records in the indoor shot put, weight throw, outdoor shot put and discus.
This year's recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor from Wisconsin, Card earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times during her collegiate career. Card was also the school's 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
Card's season isn't complete, as she will compete in both the shot put and discus at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, July 1-10, in Eugene, Oregon. She holds the Olympic standard in both the shot put and discus and would advance to the 2016 Rio Olympics with a top-three finish in either event at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Nigel Hayes, Men's Basketball
Hayes continued to establish himself as one of the most accomplished players in Wisconsin basketball history last season as a junior. A consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection, Hayes started all 35 games for the Badgers and finished the regular season tied for fifth in the Big Ten averaging 16.5 points per game. He also recorded 5.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 assists per game.
Hayes was crucial in sparking a remarkable mid-season turnaround by the Badgers that saw the group go from 9-9 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten on Jan. 13 to winning 13 of the final 16 games and climbing to finish third in the conference standings and top 40 in the RPI. That run included wins over No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 8 Iowa.
Wisconsin earned its 18th-consecutive berth to the NCAA tournament, which ranks as the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history. With wins over No. 10 seed Pittsburgh and second-seeded Xavier, the Badgers advanced to the Sweet 16. UW became the only team in the nation to advance to the Sweet 16 in five of the last six seasons.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Hayes has played in 113 career games and has started 75 of them for the Cardinal and White.
Not only did Hayes become just the fifth player in program history to accumulate 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists, but he joined Michael Finley as the only Badgers in program history to surpass those milestones by their junior seasons.
Players Mentioned
Throws
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