Earning the distinction of this year's best male athlete as decided by The Daily Cardinal staff is wide receiver Lee Evans. Evans played in 12 games and compiled an impressive 1,545 yards on 26 receptions.
This led to Evans receiving a first-team all-Big Ten selection. In addition, his 1,545 yards set a new record for most receiving yards in a single season in the Big Ten.
His amazing performance in the 2001 football season led to a nomination for the Fred Biletnikof Award, an award given to the top receiver in the nation.
Evans finished the season with the third most receiving yards in the nation, behind Louisiana State's Josh Reed and Hawaii's Ashlie Lelie, both of whom were top-40 picks in this year's NFL draft.
Kirk Penney earned honorable mention for best male athlete this year. What set Penney apart from the rest of the team was his selection to the first-team all-Big Ten squad. Penney was first on the team for points scored with 482, an average of 15.1 points per game. In addition, Penney led the Badgers in field goal and three-point percentage.
While the women's basketball team ended on a sour note, senior guard Tamara Moore has quite a resume heading into the WNBA. As one of the Badgers' strongest players, Moore was second in the Big Ten in steals and second in the conference in assists. She is one of only four Big Ten players to earn 500 assists and 300 steals. In 2001, Moore was named 2001 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Having been invited to a U.S. Women's National Team training camp, senior setter Lizzy Fitzgerald has left some big shoes to be filled for next year's Badgers squad. Ranked among the top setters in the nation in 2001, Fitzgerald dominated the court with 13.72 assists per game. Named the 2001 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, Fitzgerald ranks third on the UW career assists list with 3,923. She led the team to a Big Ten Championship in 2001.
Still an underclassman, sophomore forward Megan Hunter proved to be invaluable to the Women's Hockey team. Leading the Badgers with 23 goals and 45 points, Hunter helped the team to a second place in the WCHA and a runner up in the 2002 WCHA Women's Final Five. She ranks second in the league with 11 power-play goals.
Women's tennis Head Coach Patti Henderson sure knows how to do her job, evidenced by the 9-4 Big Ten record her team garnered this season, UW's best finish in three years. Henderson brought her team from last year's 3-7 mark, to the Big Ten Championships this season.
Although the season ended with a loss to No. 1 Northwestern, the Badgers proved themselves worthy of second place. Under the guidance of Henderson, the team developed its freshman class as well as produced two all-Big Ten players in senior Vanessa Rauh and junior Linde Mues.
The Badgers surpassed everyone's expectations under first year head coach Bo Ryan. He led the team to its first Big Ten title since 1947 and along the way became the first Wisconsin head coach to be named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
The team's 19 wins overall were the most ever for a first year coach in Wisconsin history, and the Badgers' success in the regular season gave it a birth as an eighth seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Despite losing in the second round to the eventual NCAA Champion Maryland, Ryan has given the Badger faithful confidence that the success will continue and the Badgers will be a team to contend with in the future.
