Athlete of the Year Nominees: Carlini and Hutchins
June 21, 2016 | General News, Men's Swimming & Diving, Volleyball
Student-athletes nominated for success in field of play
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 Lauren Carlini and Matt Hutchins.
Big Ten Medal of Honor Nominees
June 20: Kelsey Card & Nigel Hayes
June 21: Lauren Carlini & Matt Hutchins
June 22:
June 23:
June 24:
MADISON, Wis. – Today we feature two Athlete of the Year nominees in Lauren Carlini from volleyball and Matt Hutchins from men's swimming.
Lauren Carlini, Volleyball
Already one of the most decorated volleyball players in Wisconsin history, Carlini still has a year left to secure her status as the greatest ever.
The 6-foot, 2-inch setter earned her second consecutive American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-America honor in 2015. She is only the second first-team All-American in UW history, equaling Sherisa Livingston (1998-2001) with two first-team honors. Carlini also repeated as the Big Ten Conference Setter of the Year last fall, earning her third-straight All-Big Ten award.
Since coming to Wisconsin, Carlini has led the Badger's resurgence, leading the team to three straight NCAA regional appearances, including a national championship showing in 2013. Wisconsin also won the 2014 Big Ten championship, as Carlini was named the player of the year.
A starter since her freshman season, the Aurora, Illinois, native has 4,158 assists in her career, which ranks third on the UW record list. She has also averaged 11.42 assists per set over her three seasons, which ranks fifth all-time. An excellent defensive player as well, Carlini has more than 1,000 digs for her career, only the second Badger setter to record more than 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs. She is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten pick.
Carlini is spending this summer training with the U.S. National Team, hoping to earn a spot on the team that will compete in the Pan American Cup from June 30 to July 11 in the Dominican Republic.
Matt Hutchins, Men's Swimming
The 2015-16 season was one to remember for Matt Hutchins, who set three school records, earned two All-America accolades, was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year and fulfilled a lifelong dream by becoming an Olympian.
Hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand, the junior swimmer saw his efforts culminate in April when he officially secured himself a spot on the New Zealand national team in the 400-meter freestyle and earned the right to represent his country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Hutchins became the first Wisconsin swimmer to qualify for the Olympics since 2004 when Carly Piper represented the United States and Adam Mania competed for Poland. Piper won a gold medal for the U.S. in the 800-meter freestyle relay at the Games in Athens. He is the 11th Olympian in the history of UW's swimming program.
During the collegiate season, Hutchins became the first male Big Ten Swimmer of the Year in Wisconsin program history and the first Badger to win the award on either the men's or women's side since Maggie Meyer in 2011.
At the 2016 NCAA Championships, Hutchins earned top-six finishes in two individual events. He was third in the 1650-yard freestyle (14:33.09) and also secured a sixth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (4:13.35). Both times were school records.
A second-team All-Big Ten honoree, Hutchins recorded a trio of top-three finishes at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. He finished second in both the 500 and 1650 freestyle events, while also contributing to UW's third-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay. He was a two-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Week.
Big Ten Medal of Honor Nominees
June 20: Kelsey Card & Nigel Hayes
June 21: Lauren Carlini & Matt Hutchins
June 22:
June 23:
June 24:
MADISON, Wis. – Today we feature two Athlete of the Year nominees in Lauren Carlini from volleyball and Matt Hutchins from men's swimming.
Lauren Carlini, Volleyball
Already one of the most decorated volleyball players in Wisconsin history, Carlini still has a year left to secure her status as the greatest ever.
The 6-foot, 2-inch setter earned her second consecutive American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-America honor in 2015. She is only the second first-team All-American in UW history, equaling Sherisa Livingston (1998-2001) with two first-team honors. Carlini also repeated as the Big Ten Conference Setter of the Year last fall, earning her third-straight All-Big Ten award.
Since coming to Wisconsin, Carlini has led the Badger's resurgence, leading the team to three straight NCAA regional appearances, including a national championship showing in 2013. Wisconsin also won the 2014 Big Ten championship, as Carlini was named the player of the year.
A starter since her freshman season, the Aurora, Illinois, native has 4,158 assists in her career, which ranks third on the UW record list. She has also averaged 11.42 assists per set over her three seasons, which ranks fifth all-time. An excellent defensive player as well, Carlini has more than 1,000 digs for her career, only the second Badger setter to record more than 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs. She is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten pick.
Carlini is spending this summer training with the U.S. National Team, hoping to earn a spot on the team that will compete in the Pan American Cup from June 30 to July 11 in the Dominican Republic.
Matt Hutchins, Men's Swimming
The 2015-16 season was one to remember for Matt Hutchins, who set three school records, earned two All-America accolades, was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year and fulfilled a lifelong dream by becoming an Olympian.
Hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand, the junior swimmer saw his efforts culminate in April when he officially secured himself a spot on the New Zealand national team in the 400-meter freestyle and earned the right to represent his country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Hutchins became the first Wisconsin swimmer to qualify for the Olympics since 2004 when Carly Piper represented the United States and Adam Mania competed for Poland. Piper won a gold medal for the U.S. in the 800-meter freestyle relay at the Games in Athens. He is the 11th Olympian in the history of UW's swimming program.
During the collegiate season, Hutchins became the first male Big Ten Swimmer of the Year in Wisconsin program history and the first Badger to win the award on either the men's or women's side since Maggie Meyer in 2011.
At the 2016 NCAA Championships, Hutchins earned top-six finishes in two individual events. He was third in the 1650-yard freestyle (14:33.09) and also secured a sixth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (4:13.35). Both times were school records.
A second-team All-Big Ten honoree, Hutchins recorded a trio of top-three finishes at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. He finished second in both the 500 and 1650 freestyle events, while also contributing to UW's third-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay. He was a two-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Week.
Players Mentioned
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