WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Big Ten conference office announced the league's 28 Outstanding Sportsmanship Award honorees, naming Cassidy Hardin (women's basketball) and Matt Ramos (wrestling) as Purdue's representatives.
Delaying medical school in order to return the Boilermakers back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, Hardin was the heartbeat of the women's basketball program in the 2022-23 season. In addition to leaving West Lafayette with the degree and honors biochemistry, Hardin finished her career with the most appearances by any men's or women's basketball player in Purdue history with 142 games played. A lethal shooter from the outside, she climbed all the way up to 4th in career 3 pointers and became the fifth Boilermaker to make over 200 triples in her career.
Purdue wrestling's 60th All-American and ninth NCAA Runner-Up, Ramos was a leader for the program the entirety of the season. He compiled a 35-5 record with six pins and 14 bonus point wins as a sophomore at 125 pounds, climbing as high as No. 3 in the nation during the regular season. He made his biggest mark in the postseason, announcing himself to the world during the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships with a historic upset of the No. 1 seed and three-time national champion Spencer Lee in the semi-finals to catapult himself into the national championship and the national spotlight. He also earned NWCA Academic All-American and Academic All-Big Ten honors in pursuit of a Selling & Sales Management degree.
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.
Delaying medical school in order to return the Boilermakers back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, Hardin was the heartbeat of the women's basketball program in the 2022-23 season. In addition to leaving West Lafayette with the degree and honors biochemistry, Hardin finished her career with the most appearances by any men's or women's basketball player in Purdue history with 142 games played. A lethal shooter from the outside, she climbed all the way up to 4th in career 3 pointers and became the fifth Boilermaker to make over 200 triples in her career.
Purdue wrestling's 60th All-American and ninth NCAA Runner-Up, Ramos was a leader for the program the entirety of the season. He compiled a 35-5 record with six pins and 14 bonus point wins as a sophomore at 125 pounds, climbing as high as No. 3 in the nation during the regular season. He made his biggest mark in the postseason, announcing himself to the world during the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships with a historic upset of the No. 1 seed and three-time national champion Spencer Lee in the semi-finals to catapult himself into the national championship and the national spotlight. He also earned NWCA Academic All-American and Academic All-Big Ten honors in pursuit of a Selling & Sales Management degree.
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.