Fox and Horak Recognized with Minnesota's Big Ten Sportsmanship Awards

MINNEAPOLIS -- A pair of Minnesota standouts were recognized as recipients of the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award. Katie Horak (gymnastics) and Parker Fox (men's basketball) were selected as the Maroon and Gold's representatives.

A senior from Buffalo, Minn., Katie Horak had only competed in exhibitions before this year and was coming off a knee injury that prematurely ended her 2023 season. Horak finally burst onto the scene as a senior, becoming a key element of the Gophers' eighth-ranked beam team. She competed in 13 of the 14 meets, holding an average of 9.864 on balance beam, a number that ranked second on the team.

The beam-specialist was a Big Ten All-Championships Team selection, Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner and an Academic All-Big Ten selection for the second straight season. The chemistry major holds a 3.733 GPA and will graduate this spring. She also earned the team's 'Mariam Award', which is an honor given to the gymnast who the coaches believe has done everything they can to be their very best. The WCGA Scholastic All-American earned a career-high 9.950 score on Feb. 3 at Penn State, a figure that ties for top-20 all-time in the program record book. It also marked her first career event title. She earned three 9.900-or-higher scores this year and was only below 9.850 one time all season.

Fox, red-shirt senior forward, transferred to the University of Minnesota after three years at Northern State in 2021-22. However, back-to-back season-ending knee injuries sidelined him for both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Gopher seasons. In 2023-24, Fox became Minnesota's sixth man and was one of just two Gophers to play in all 34 games. The Mahtomedi, Minn., product averaged 14 minutes, 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds. He also contributed 27 blocks, 25 assists and 18 steals this past season. Fox scored double-digit points in seven games this past year and earned a start against Penn State (3/2/24).

Off the court, Fox owns two degrees, including a master's degree in sports management from the University of Minnesota. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Fox is also a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. In addition, Fox has volunteered at a variety of events including Hope Lodge, Al Nolen Foundation and Create A Memory.

The Big Ten Conference announced the 28 honorees named Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2023-24 academic year. These standouts were chosen from a group of 350 students honored throughout the academic year who had displayed positive sportsmanship.

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.

2023-24 Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners

ILLINOIS
Isaiah Williams, Football
Jessica McDowell, Women's Track & Field

INDIANA
Aaron Casey, Football
Caroline Craig, Women's Golf

IOWA
Jay Higgins, Football
Kate Martin, Women's Basketball

MARYLAND
Jahmir Young, Men's Basketball
Olivia Weir, Women's Gymnastics

MICHIGAN
Jacob Truscott, Men's Ice Hockey
Serena Brimacombe, Field Hockey

MICHIGAN STATE
Nicolas Müller, Men's Ice Hockey
Macy Lee, Softball

MINNESOTA
Parker Fox, Men's Basketball
Katie Horak, Women's Gymnastics

NEBRASKA
Peyton Robb, Wrestling
Cecelia Ossi, Women's Rifle

NORTHWESTERN
Gleb Blekher, Men's Tennis
Natalie Chizzo, Volleyball

OHIO STATE
Nick Feldman, Wrestling
Sarah Sue Morbitzer, Volleyball

PENN STATE
Beau Bartlett, Wrestling
Julie Gough, Women's Ice Hockey

PURDUE
Praise Aniamaka, Men's Track & Field
Carmen Gallardo Guevara, Women's Tennis

RUTGERS
Xavier Marcoux, Men's Golf
Leigha Devine, Women's Golf

WISCONSIN
Tim Bielic, Men's Soccer
MJ Hammill, Volleyball

The 2023-24 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners appear below, and the complete list of Sportsmanship Award honorees for all sports from each school can be viewed here.

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Players Mentioned

Parker Fox

Katie Horak