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UW Athletics: Duggan, Taylor named athletes
of the year
MADISON, Wis. -- Following a season filled with
outstanding performances, University of Wisconsin Athletics has
selected junior men’s basketball player Jordan Taylor as its Male
Athlete of the Year and senior women’s hockey player Meghan
Duggan as its Female Athlete of the Year.
Taylor was the backcourt mainstay for a UW team that posted a perfect
record at the Kohl Center, carried its 13th-consecutive NCAA tournament
appearance all the way to the Sweet 16 and knocked off the
nation’s No. 1-ranked team. A prolific scorer, his steady hand
also helped UW set an NCAA record for fewest turnovers at 7.6 per game.
Duggan captained a Badgers squad that swept the WCHA regular-season and
tournament titles en route to securing the program’s fourth NCAA
championship in six seasons. The nation’s top point scorer,
Duggan was the driving force behind the Badgers’ 27-game unbeaten
streak to end the season.
The pair were selected from a group of finalists that included four men
and four women, and both will now be considered for the Big Ten
Conference’s top athlete honors. Taylor is UW’s candidate
for Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, while Duggan vies for the
honor of Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year.
Jordan Taylor (Men’s
Basketball)
As the Badgers’ starting point guard, Taylor
was instrumental in helping the UW men’s basketball team to a
third-place Big Ten finish and its 13th-consecutive NCAA tournament
appearance, a run that saw the Badgers down Belmont and Kansas State
before falling to Butler in a regional semifinal.
Along the way, the second-team All-American emerged as one of the
nation’s top all-around players and contributed to a memorable
season that included a perfect 16-0 record at the Kohl Center and a
thrilling win over then-unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Ohio State.
Taylor’s star shined brightest in that victory over the Buckeyes,
when he scored 21 of his game-high 27 points as part of a furious
second-half rally that saw UW claw back from a 15-point deficit to
score a 71-67 win. In one stretch, Taylor scored eight consecutive
points as UW put together a 15-0 run that led to the program’s
first victory over the nation’s top-ranked team since 1962.
It was one of several outstanding performances for Taylor, who ranked
third in the Big Ten in scoring during conference play (20.1 ppg) and
fourth in all games (18.2 ppg). He scored in double figures in 32 of 34
games and scored 20-plus points 15 times, finishing the season with
1,001 career points.
That includes the career-high 39 he scored in a win at Indiana, a game
that saw Taylor go 7-for-8 from 3-point range and rattle off 17
straight points during a stretch of the second half.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Taylor led the nation with his
sparkling 3.83 assist-to-turnover ratio -- which included a 4.63 mark
in Big Ten play -- and earned a spot of the Big Ten All-Defensive
Team. In fact, Taylor was one of just three players nationally to
lead his league in assist-to-turnover ratio and rank among its top-five
scorers.
Awards poured in for the Bloomington, Minn., native, who was named an
All-American by the Associated Press, Sporting News, Sports
Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports, Fox Sports and CBSSports.com. A first-team
All-Big Ten selection, Taylor was one of five finalists for the Bob
Cousy Award -- presented to the nation’s top point guard -- and
was one of 20 players on the John R. Wooden Award ballot for national
player of the year.
Meghan Duggan
(Women’s Hockey)
Meghan Duggan left her mark as one of the most
decorated student-athletes to have competed for the Wisconsin
women’s hockey team. The Danvers, Mass., native ended her
four-year career as the program’s leading point scorer, with 238
points.
Part of three national championship teams, Duggan played a key role in
the success the UW women’s hockey team has seen in the past six
years. After taking 2009-10 off to play for the U.S. in the 2010
Olympic Winter Games alongside UW teammate Hilary Knight, Duggan had a
stellar senior year that saw her capture nearly every individual award
in the women’s game.
After winning WCHA Rookie of the Year honors in 2006-07, Duggan’s
trophy case expanded this season to include the 2011 Patty Kazmaier
Memorial Award, given to college hockey’s top player, and the USA
Hockey Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year award. A first-team
All-American, she also claimed WCHA Player of the Year honors and was
the league’s scoring champion
She was named co-MVP of the 2011 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four and was
an all-tournament team pick, while also earning the Big Ten Outstanding
Sportsmanship award.
Playing in all 41 games, Duggan set a school record for single-season
points with 87. Her 39 goals ranked second in the nation, and her 48
assists led the NCAA. She also set a school mark for longest scoring
streak at 25 games (Oct. 22-Feb. 4), a stretch which saw her notch 57
points. Duggan had 27 multi-point games on the year, including nine
multi-goal games and 13 multi-assist games.
Duggan scored two goals at the WCHA Final Face-Off, including a
game-tying goal with 3:15 remaining against Minnesota that helped UW
claim the tournament championship. Later in the postseason, she scored
the game-winner against Minnesota Duluth to advance the Badgers to the
NCAA Frozen Four, where she went on to record four points -- including
three points on one goal and two assists in a 3-2 win over Boston
College in the national semifinal.
On the international stage, Duggan helped lead Team USA to a gold medal
by defeating Canada at the 2011 IIHF World Championships in Switzerland
in April. She also the led U.S. Women's Select Team in scoring with
five points at the 2010 Women's Four Nations Cup in St. John's, Canada,
where Team USA placed second.
Highlight Videos
Jordan Taylor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXt4A4OFbB0
Meghan Duggan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_R9SmqoYuc
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