DeZiel, Welk Had the H-E-A-R-T to Compete and Succeed

Video: Student-Athlete of the Year Honorees Jessie DeZiel and John Welk

Connecting on Campus: Celebrating 25 Years of Student-Athlete Success

Randy York’s N-Sider

When Jim Delany attended Nebraska’s 25-year red-carpet celebration of academic, athletic and life skills excellence at Lincoln’s downtown Lied Center for the Performing Arts, the Big Ten Conference Commissioner delivered a keynote address in less than five minutes. The capstone of Delany’s incisive observations was a formal presentation of Big Ten Medals of Honor to two Nebraska student-athletes – Husker gymnast Jessie DeZiel from Rogers, Minn., and Nebraska sprinter John Welk from Bismarck, N.D.

It was no coincidence that Nebraska’s student-athlete award winners from Northern states already had received NU’s highest individual honors before Delany explained to more than 1,400 people that the Big Ten Medal of Honor is the conference’s most exclusive award and the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics. The Medal of Honor dates back to 1915, making last year’s recipients the centennial celebration of an award that has honored some of America's greatest.

Let the record show that the Big Ten Conference and Nebraska’s Department of Athletics reached a joint agreement when the Huskers joined the oldest, biggest and most powerful conference. The Big Ten award now annually honors the same Nebraska winners in the 25-year-old Husker Student-Athlete of the Year award. It is the ultimate sign of respect for Nebraska, which not only has been a trailblazer in blending collegiate academic performance with athletic accomplishments, but also a pioneer among NCAA institutions in weaving life skills into the very fabric of young men and women to help mold their character.

Jim Delany Praises Nebraska’s Heart, Care and Commitment

Delany always will remember the presentation Nebraska gave when he met Chancellor Harvey Perlman and then Director of Athletics Tom Osborne six years ago to discuss the possibilities of Nebraska joining the Big Ten Conference. NU’s commitment to the celebration of the student-athlete, and its idealization of the “caring part”, impressed Delany. From that initial discussion to last Sunday night’s silver anniversary showcase of the awards’ inherent character, Delany recognized, then shared the word that seems to resonate most in his mind at this point in time – H-E-A-R-T, spelled in capital letters to reflect the word's overall power and impact.

“It’s so great to be invited here and see this,” Delany told Nebraska student-athletes, coaches, deans, professors, friends and supporters. Since approaching Nebraska, Delany saw an academic/athletic “fit” to the Big Ten culture and felt strongly that “things could work out.” He recalled his own experiences in boarding school and the emphasis put on having a sound mind and a sound body. Delany said Nebraska has implemented and nurtured something that adds a third component to an age-old phrase…a sound heart as the punchline for a sound mind and a sound body. “The heart is demonstrated by young people who achieve what they’ve achieved, not only on the playing field and in the classroom, but in service to people who might have less and may need more,” Delany said. “I think that’s what’s special about academic awards and athletic accomplishments. It shows a real heart, a real pulse, and a real commitment.”

Delany did not stop there. He took the metaphor a step higher while congratulating student-athletes for their heart, concern and care not only for their teammates, but for others in the community. Delany credited legendary Nebraska benefactor Dick Herman for creating the structure that enabled Nebraska Athletics to carve a unique leadership role that put life skills on the same platform with academics and athletics. “At a very basic level, we are going to have to continue to do really important things to sustain these opportunities,” Delany said. “The more collegiate we are, the more educational we are, and the more involved we are in the communities, the better off we will be.”

Jessie DeZiel Will Carry Life Skills With Her for the Rest of Her Life

DeZiel earned nine All-America honors after completing her NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship career this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. She was nominated for the 2015 AAI Award, her sport's highest honor. She was also a three-time NCAA Regional vault champion and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection as a nutrition and health sciences major. DeZiel became the sixth Husker women's gymnast to win Nebraska's Female Student-Athlete of the Year award. She joins Nicole Duval (1995), Shelly Bartlett (1997), Richelle Simpson (2005), Stephanie Carter (2007) and Emily Wong (2014) among the elite women's gymnasts to win the school's highest student-athlete honor in the history of Coach Dan Kendig's program. DeZiel also became the second women's gymnast to win Nebraska's Big Ten Medal of Honor.

"Before coming to Nebraska, I had minimal involvement in volunteer service work," DeZiel said. "I loved seeing the smiles of people we helped. I also learned what hard work looked like in the gym and the classroom. I had 20 hours of practice every week, plus eight hours of study hall to make sure I could reach my academic goals. Working in the gym every day, followed by hours of homework, left me very little down time. It wasn't always fun, but competing with others who had the same goals was personally very fulfilling." Just a month after college started, DeZiel represented Team USA in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the experience was unforgettable. "As a little kid, I dreamed of competing in the Olympics, and I got to compete on the same Pan-American team with two Olympians (Shawn Johnson and Bridget Stone)," DeZiel said. "Standing on the podium with a gold medal around my neck while hearing the national anthem was one of the most memorable moments of my life."

Even though DeZiel's senior season did not end with another Super Six team appearance in the NCAA Championships, she still achieved first-team All-America status as one of the nation's top six all-around performers. "As a senior, I've never worked harder at anything, knowing this is my last shot," she said. "I pushed myself harder at everything and was able to achieve my highest GPA ever while taking my most academically challenging courses. I look at the five words in our mission statement (Integrity, Trust, Respect, Teamwork, Loyalty) and try to live by them as meaningfully as I can every day in the gym, the classroom and the community. I've learned so many different life skills that I'll continue to carry with me for the rest of my life. The opportunity Nebraska has given me is unbelieveable, and I haven't wasted a minute of it. Looking back on my experience, I wouldn't change one thing. I've grown as a person and will pursue excellence in everything I do. Receiving my diploma and having the values Nebraska Athletics has taught me will equip me for life."

Passionate Volunteering Will Continue to Be Important in John Welk's Life

A two-time All-American as part of Nebraska's 4x100 meter relay team, Welk  is also a two-time NCAA Elite 89 award winner. The senior nutrition science major held the top grade point average of any male student-athlete at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in both 2013 and 2014. He's also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and is the fifth consecutive Nebraska Male Student-Athlete of the Year from Coach Gary Pepin's Husker track and field team. Welk, pictured above, becomes Nebraska's fifth straight men's track and field Big Ten Medal of Honor winner, following Nicholas Gordon (2011), Tyler Hitchler (2012), Bjorn Barrefors (2013) and Seth Wiedel (2014). Overall, the Husker track and field program has claimed six Male Student-Athlete of the Year awards. Seven Husker women's track and field student-athletes also have captured the award, giving Coach Pepin's program 13 of the 50 all-time awards. 

Welk remembers one night during grade school when his father showed him a pair of worn-out track spikes from high school and college. "At the time, I never imagined that track and field would become such an important part of my life," Welk said. "After years of hard work, I was blessed to achieve my goal of becoming a scholarship sprinter at Nebraska. Without a doubt, the opportunities and experiences I've had competing at Nebraska have empowered me to become a successful dental student and eventually become a practicing dentist. I try to do everything in my life with a great amount of purpose. I attach meaning to everything I do, from athletics to academics to hobbies. I take pride in the smallest to the largest daily tasks, so I can stay disciplined and push through adversity. There have been times during my career when I've perservered through injuries to reach my goal of competing at the NCAA Championships."

It's Been a Humbling Experience to Be a Role Model at Nebraska

"Looking back, I don't think I could have imagined how much I would learn and grow in four years," Welk said. "A lot of the credit should go to the example and culture that older teammates like Bjorn Barrefors, Tyler Hitchler and Teran Walford created. I've tried to continue their example. My parents instilled the importance of volunteering in me at an early age. It became an important part of my life. My passion only grew stronger once I came to Nebraska, thanks to the Life Skills Department. The entire Athletic Department made it clear to me what the goal was when I first got here and throughout the next four years. We needed to develop as a 'whole person' and not fall short of our goals, so we can help others who need it. It's been a humbling experience to be a role model at Nebraska and give back to the community. Outreach helps me look outside myself, so I can help. I believe that dentistry is a profession that will give me the skills, the platform and the finances to have a strong, positive impact in my community. I'm thankful that the University of Nebraska has given me some of the most enjoyable, rewarding and constructive experiences of my life."

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