Nebraska's National Academic Honors

Huskers Lead Nation with 17 NCAA Top Ten Award Winners

The highest honor the National Collegiate Athletic Association can bestow on a student-athlete is The Top Ten Award. The award is based not only on outstanding athletic accomplishments, but on excellent academic records and leadership ability in community and campus activities.

The University of Nebraska earned its NCAA-leading 17th Top Ten Award in 2013, when NCAA women's tennis runner-up Mary Weatherholt was one of 10 student-athletes to earn the national award.

The Husker football program has nine of Nebraska's 17 Top Ten Award winners, most recently All-America rush end Grant Wistrom who was a 1998 honoree. Wistrom's selection gave Nebraska nine Top Eight honorees in the 1990s. Two Huskers received the award in both 1990 and 1991, the only times that a school had more than one student-athlete honored.

Nebraska's NCAA-Leading 17 NCAA Today's Top Ten Award Winners

2013 - Mary Weatherholt (women's tennis)
2008 - Sarah Pavan (volleyball)
2005 - Richelle Simpson (women's gymnastics)
2002 - Nancy Metcalf (volleyball)
1998 - Grant Wistrom (football)
1996 - Aaron Graham (football)
1995 - Rob Zatechka (football)
1994 - Trev Alberts (football)
1992 - Janet Kruse (volleyball)
1991 - Patrick Kirksey (men's gymnastics)
1991 - Pat Tyrance (football)
1990 - Virginia Stahr (volleyball)
1990 - Jake Young (football)
1989 - Tom Schlesinger (men's gymnastics)
1985 - Mark Traynowicz (football)
1983 - Dave Rimington (football)
1981 - Randy Schleusener (football)