Ohio State's Jaggers, Michigan's Luke win their schools' Male Athlete of the Year honors

June 19, 1:22 AMCollege Wrestling ExaminerMark Palmer

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J Jaggers (Photo: Ohio State University
wrestling website)

Despite being from rival Big Ten schools, Ohio State’s J Jaggers and Michigan’s Steve Luke share some common points.

They’re both 2009 NCAA Division I wrestling champs. Both are Ohio natives. Each of them earned a place on the 2009 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Individual All-Academic Team. And… each of them earned Male Athlete of the Year honors at their respective schools.

J Jaggers named Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year. Two-time NCAA Division I 141-pound champ J Jaggers became the first Buckeye wrestler to be voted Male Athlete of the Year at Ohio State in the nearly three-decade history of the award.

The three-time NCAA All-American wrestler joins an elite list of Ohio State athletes to have won the honor. Among the winners since 1982: Buckeye football standouts Chris Spielman, Eddie George and Troy Smith… track and field star Butch Reynolds… and gymnast Blaine Wilson.

Jaggers became just the third Ohio State wrestler to have won two NCAA titles, the others being Kevin Randleman (177-pound champ in 1992 and 1993), and Tommy Rowlands (heavyweight titlewinner in 2002 and 2004).

This is just the latest accomplishment for Jaggers. Earlier this month, the native of Northfield, Ohio was one of five 2009 NCAA champs to be named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Individual All-Academic Team, the third time he had earned that honor. Jaggers was recently hired by the Buckeyes as an assistant coach.

Jaggers graduated from Ohio State with a degree in communication at the end of winter quarter.

Steve Luke (Photo: University
of Michigan wrestling website)
 

Steve Luke wins Michigan’s Male Athlete of the Year. The University of Michigan Athletic Department announced that 2009 NCAA 174-pound champion wrestler Steve Luke was selected 2008-09 Male Athlete of the Year.

Luke is the first Wolverine wrestler to win this prestigious award since its inception in 1982. He joins elite athletes such as football stars Jim Harbaugh, Anthony Carter, Charles Woodson and Desmond Howard, baseball greats Jim Abbott and Barry Larkin, and Olympic swimmers Tom Dolan and Mike Barrowman.

On the mat, Steve Luke was perfect in his final season at Michigan, posting a 32-0 record. He became the school’s 20th NCAA wrestling champion, with an 8-4 victory over Central Michigan’s Mike Miller in the 174 finals at the 2009 NCAAs. It was the third consecutive year that the Massillon, Ohio native earned NCAA All-American honors.

This is the latest in a series of accolades for the captain of the Wolverine wrestling team. Named the Wolverines' male recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, Luke captured three straight conference 174-pound titles. He tallied a number of academic honors: a five-time recipient of the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award, a four-time Academic All-Big Ten member, and a three-time NWCA All-Academic selection. Luke, who was a Biology major, will begin pharmacy school later this summer.