ROSEMONT, Ill. - Levi Haines of the Penn State Wrestling team and Tessa Janecke of the Penn State Women's Hockey team were named recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor on Thursday afternoon, the conference announced.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who have demonstrated excellence in competition and in the classroom throughout their collegiate careers.
Established in 1915, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is the conference's highest distinction for student athletes. The award, the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics, recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in both academics and athletics. Among the more than 11,000 student-athletes who compete across Big Ten institutions each year, only 36 are selected annually to receive the Big Ten Medal of Honor. Since its inception more than a century ago, just over 1,680 student-athletes have earned the prestigious distinction.
Levi Haines' selection comes following one of the most decorated careers in Penn State wrestling history. He capped his historic career with the Penn State wrestling team by winning his second NCAA title.
Haines went 26-0 overall during the year, with six pins, 13 technical falls, and two majors. He ended the season with a 5-0 run at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland to win the 174-pound NCAA individual title. It was his second title, also having won in 2024. He ended his collegiate career as a four-time All-American, won four straight Big Ten titles, and was a four-time first team All-Big Ten honoree. Haines went 99-4 during his Penn State Career with 23 pins, 23 techs, and 14 majors.
In addition to the NCAA and conference titles, Haines was a four-time NWCA National All-Academic team member. He was a two-time CSC National Academic All-District honoree and a second team CSC Academic All-American (at-large) selection in 2024, and is on the ballot for 2026 honors, as well. Haines recently won a spot on the United States World Team for 2026 by winning Final X at 79kg.
Tessa Janecke’s selection comes after becoming the most accomplished player in the history of Penn State women’s hockey. She leaves Penn State as the program’s all-time leader in points with 201, the most in Penn State hockey history across both the men’s and women’s programs. She also set school records for goals (89), assists (112), shots on goal (776), plus/minus (+112), and multi-goal games (17).
One of the most decorated athletes in program history, Janecke became the first-ever top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2025-26, which is annually given to the best female collegiate hockey player in the NCAA. She was also the first player to be anamed a Top Ten finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award in back-to-back seasons (2023–24 and 2024–25).
Janecke is a three-time USCHO/AHCA All-American, including the first player in program history to earn a First-Team All-American selection (2025-26), and she also earned Second-Team All-American honors twice (2023–24 and 2024–25).
Janecke was also a three-time AHA Player of the Year (2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26), becoming only the second student-athlete in conference history to win the award in three consecutive seasons. She was a three-time AHA Forward of the Year (2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26). Tessa was also a four-time All-Conference First Team selection (CHA/AHA), the first player in program history to achieve that distinction and was named AHA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2025–26. She also earned USCHO Co-Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie Team honors, HCA National Rookie of the Year, and AHA Rookie of the Year (2022–23), becoming the first player in program history to receive major rookie awards.
Janecke helped lead Penn State women’s hockey through its most storied season in 2025-26, as the program captured a fourth consecutive AHA championship and hosted its first NCAA regional. The Nittany Lions earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory with a 3-0 win over #6 Connecticut to claim the regional title on March 14. Penn State advanced to its first-ever NCAA Frozen Four, hosted at Pegula Ice Arena for the first time, as well. In the national semifinals, Janecke scored twice, including the game-tying goal in regulation to force overtime against #2 Wisconsin. A new single-game attendance record was also set with 5,176 fans on March 20 against the Badgers.
Internationally, Tessa became the first athlete in Penn State history to win a gold medal, joining Team USA at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. She was also a three-time member of Team USA at the IIHF Women’s World Championships, where she captured two gold medals, including scoring the gold-medal-winning goal in overtime against Canada, giving the United States a 4–3 win in 2025. She was also a member of Team USA at the 2022 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships.
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