University of Minnesota Athletics
Ness, Dorniden Named Medal of Honor Winners
6/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Minnesota seniors Jayson Ness (wrestling) and Heather Dorniden (cross country, track and field) have been named winners for this year's Big Ten Medal of Honor award - given annually to the top male and female student-athletes at each conference institution.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor was established in 1914, when the conference endowed an award to honor a student in the graduating class of each university that demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics. The Medal of Honor was expanded in 1982 to include a senior female athlete from each institution. It is the highest award bestowed on a student-athlete in the Big Ten Conference.
Ness (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) capped off an impressive collegiate career by posting a perfect 31-0 record in 2009-10 and capturing his first national championship at 133 pounds. A four-time All-American, Ness tallied a career record of 148-15 with 73 falls and won Big Ten titles at 125 pounds as a redshirt freshman in 2006-07 and at 133 points as a senior. He also recorded a second-place finish at both the Big Ten tournament and the national tournament as a sophomore.
Academically, Ness was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I All-Academic Team twice during his career along with a pair of Academic All-Big Ten honors. He also earned the Golden Gopher Academic Award for the 2008-2009 season.
"The beauty of Jayson Ness is that as a third grader he decided he wanted to be a Gopher. He dreamed about it for years, and he ended up being able to live his dream," Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson said. "Jayson is a young man that comes in and does everything he's supposed to do. He does it the right way. He takes care of school, he takes care of his social life and at the same time he is an incredibly hard worker and just a great human being."
A two-sport athlete competing in both cross country and track and field, Dorniden (Inver Groves Heights, Minn./Rosemount HS) wrapped up her college career as the most decorated women's runner in Gophers history including the distinction of being Minnesota's first-ever national champion, winning the 2006 800-meter NCAA indoor title.
Successful from her first season at Minnesota, when she earned the 2006 indoor and outdoor Big Ten Freshman of the Year awards, Dorniden would go on to collect nine All-America citations and compete in a total of 12 NCAA Championships. Her teams won a combined six Big Ten championships (track - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009; and cross country - 2007, 2008) while Dorniden was a four-time Big Ten individual event winner and was named the 2009 Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships.
Dorniden has been equally successful in the classroom, posting a 3.946 cumulative GPA. Her dedication to education has earned her 2008, 2009 and 2010 Top-Five Awards for owning one of the best GPAs in the Gophers' Athletic Department. Her academic accolades include a slot on the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team (an award Dorniden is eligible for once again this year), the 2009 President's Student Leadership and Service Award, the 2009 University of Minnesota Alumni Association Student Leadership Award and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. A 2008 and 2009 captain of the cross country team and a 2009 captain of the track and field team, Dorniden is also Minnesota's 2010 nominee for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award.
"Heather is every coach's dream. I don't think our program would be where it is without what she has done for it," Minnesota head women's cross country coach Gary Wilson said. "She's coachable, she's a great student and she's a great person. She is the perfect kid, and she's well deserving of this honor."
