Gus Zilinskas and Katherine Lang Named Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners
Jul 09 | Football, Women's Swimming & Diving
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Two Rutgers student-athletes were named recipients of the Big Ten's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award for the 2025-26 academic year. Gus Zilinskas (football) and Katherine Lang (swimming and diving) were honored by the conference.
The duo were Rutgers' honorees and two of the 36 student-athletes conference-wide recognized by the Big Ten on Thursday. The winners were chosen haven distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior, being in good academic standing and demonstrating good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Zilinskas played in 48 games for Rutgers football, making 41 starts at center, including 38 consecutive starts over his last three seasons. The Englewood, Colo. native was a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection and was named All-ECAC and to the Rimington Award watch list. A team captain who majored in Performance Psychology as a Graduate student, he was a member of the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Lang served as a two-time team captain for the Rutgers swimming and diving team. The Charlotte, N.C. native competed in backstroke, IM and relays for the Scarlet Knights and was the team's Alumni Spirit Award Winner. Lang served as the President of the Rutgers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a senior and previously was the vice-president. Majoring in Public Health with a minor in business administration, the Chi Alpha Sigma Inductee was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient. She will continue her academic career in law school.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics ) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates.
The duo were Rutgers' honorees and two of the 36 student-athletes conference-wide recognized by the Big Ten on Thursday. The winners were chosen haven distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior, being in good academic standing and demonstrating good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Zilinskas played in 48 games for Rutgers football, making 41 starts at center, including 38 consecutive starts over his last three seasons. The Englewood, Colo. native was a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection and was named All-ECAC and to the Rimington Award watch list. A team captain who majored in Performance Psychology as a Graduate student, he was a member of the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Lang served as a two-time team captain for the Rutgers swimming and diving team. The Charlotte, N.C. native competed in backstroke, IM and relays for the Scarlet Knights and was the team's Alumni Spirit Award Winner. Lang served as the President of the Rutgers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a senior and previously was the vice-president. Majoring in Public Health with a minor in business administration, the Chi Alpha Sigma Inductee was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient. She will continue her academic career in law school.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics ) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates.
Players Mentioned
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