University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Sparks, Laitinen Named Minnesota’s Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Honorees
7/9/2026 11:00:00 AM | Athletics, Women's Hockey, Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – The Big Ten announced today that wrestling's Andrew Sparks and women's hockey's Nelli Laitinen were named Minnesota's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award honorees. The conference recognized two student-athletes from each school with the honor.
The pair of Gophers were chosen for distinguishing themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior, being fair and respectful to their opponents, being enthusiastic about the game, enjoying playing it, and, win or lose, always doing their absolute best. The recipients also are active within their campus communities. In addition, the student-athletes are in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Sparks is coming off his sixth and final season with the Maroon and Gold, earning All-America honors for the first time in his career. After a loss in the Round of 16, he rattled off four straight victories to become the first Gopher All-American at 165 pounds since 2014. The No. 13 seed, Sparks finished in fifth place, the best by a Gopher at the weight since 2004 and the highest by a Gopher seeded 13th or higher since 2021.
A Costa Mesa, Calif., native who finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships, Sparks went 26-8 with an 11-3 dual record and 5-2 mark in the Big Ten. Of his 28 wins, one came by fall, three by tech fall and six by major decision. Sparks tied for the team lead in total matches wrestled on the season (34) and overall wins (26). He also tied for second in matches against ranked opponents (18). The first Gopher to compete at five different NCAA Championships, Sparks finished his Minnesota career with a 94-46 overall record, 38-17 record in duals and 23-13 conference mark. His 94 career wins tied for 51st in program history.
Off the mat last season, Sparks garnered Academic All-Big Ten honors, was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and received CSC Academic All-District recognition.
Nelli Laitinen, a two-time captain for the Gopher women's hockey team, finished her collegiate career with another standout campaign on the ice while continuing to represent the program at a high level academically. She earned CCM/AHCA Second Team All-America honors, was named to the All-WCHA Second Team and finished as a top-three finalist for WCHA Defender of the Year.
The Lohja, Finland, native tied for fourth among WCHA defenders with a career-high 10 goals and ranked fourth among league blue liners with 30 points. She recorded her first career hat trick and a career-high five points at Sacred Heart on Jan. 3, a performance that helped her earn WCHA Defender of the Week honors.
Laitinen continued to climb the Minnesota record book during the season, moving into seventh all-time in program history in points by a defender on March 1. She also tied for 10th all-time in goals by a defender on Jan. 9. Internationally, Laitinen skated in her second Winter Olympic Games for Team Finland in Milan, Italy, this season.
Away from competition, she earned WCHA All-Academic and Scholar-Athlete recognition, as well as Academic All-Big Ten honors. Most recently, Laitinen was selected with the sixth overall pick in the PWHL Draft by PWHL Hamilton, becoming the first player chosen by the team in franchise history.