MADISON, WI (MetroSource-WSAU) — Wisconsin women’s volleyball player Dana Rettke is the Big Ten Conference’s Female Athlete of the Year.
She’s the first Badgers female athlete to claim conference honors in 23 years. Rettke helped the Badgers to the Big Ten Title and a berth in the NCAA championship match.
Rettke is the first volleyball player to win the award since 2010 and just the fifth all-time. She is the first Badger to win the title since 1997.
Rettke and running back Jonathan Taylor were named UW Athletes of the Year earlier this week.
Here is the list of female Big Ten Athletes of the Year
- 1983 – Judi Brown, Michigan State, track and field
- 1984 – Lisa Ishikawa, Northwestern, softball
- 1985 – Cathy Branta, Wisconsin, cross country/track
- 1986 – Stephanie Herbst, Wisconsin, cross country/track
- 1987 – Jennifer Averill, Northwestern, field hockey/lacrosse
- 1988 – Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country
- 1989 – Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country
- 1990 – Suzy Favor, Wisconsin, track and field/cross country
- 1991 – Julie Farrell-Ovenhouse, Michigan State, diving AND Joy Holmes, Purdue, basketball
- 1992 – MaChelle Joseph, Purdue, basketball
- 1993 – Lara Hooiveld, Michigan, swimming
- 1994 – Kristy Gleason, Iowa, field hockey
- 1995 – Laura Davis, Ohio State, volleyball
- 1996 – Olga Kalinovskaya, Penn State, fencing
- 1997 – Kathy Butler, Wisconsin, track and field AND Gretchen Hegener, Minnesota, swimming
- 1998 – Sara Griffin, Michigan, softball
- 1999 – Stephanie White-McCarty, Purdue, basketball
- 2000 – Lauren Cacciamani, Penn State, volleyball
- 2001 – Katie Douglas, Purdue, basketball
- 2002 – Christie Welsh, Penn State, soccer
- 2003 – Perdita Felicien, Illinois, track and field
- 2004 – Kelly Mazzante, Penn State, basketball
- 2005 – Jennie Ritter, Michigan, softball
- 2006 – Tiffany Weimer, Penn State, soccer
- 2007 – Jessica Davenport, Ohio State, basketball
- 2008 – Hannah Nielsen, Northwestern, lacrosse
- 2009 – Maria Hernandez, Purdue, golf
- 2010 – Megan Hodge, Penn State, volleyball
- 2011 – Shannon Smith, Northwestern, lacrosse
- 2012 – Christina Manning, Ohio State, track and field
- 2013 – Amanda Kessel, Minnesota, ice hockey
- 2014 – Dani Bunch, Purdue, track and field
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- 2015 – Taylor Cummings, Maryland, lacrosse
- 2016 – Rachel Banham, Minnesota, basketball
- 2017 – Lilly King, Indiana, swimming
- 2018 – Lilly King, Indiana, swimming
- 2019 – Megan Gustafson, Iowa, basketball
- 2020 – Dana Rettke, Wisconsin, volleyball
