University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Lauren Betts, Chase Dodd Named Big Ten Medal of Honor Recipients
June 25, 2026 | Men's Water Polo, Women's Basketball, Bruin Athletics
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Lauren Betts (women's basketball) and Chase Dodd (men's water polo) were announced Thursday as UCLA's Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor recipients for the 2025-26 academic year. Established in 1915, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is the conference's most prestigious award.
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 has demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their collegiate career. This year's class comprised student-athletes from 14 sports.
Betts led the Bruins in scoring (17.1 points per game) and rebounding (8.8 rebounds per game) on the way to UCLA's first-ever NCAA championship in 2025-26. She averaged a career-high 3.2 assists per game as a senior and was a consistent playmaker for UCLA. Betts became just the third player in NCAA history to have a season with 600-plus points, 300-plus rebounds, 100-plus assists and 75-plus blocks (Breanna Stewart three times, Cheryl Miller twice), anchoring the Bruins on both ends of the floor. She finished her career as UCLA's all-time leader in blocked shots (235) and was the only Bruin to swat 100 rejections in a single season (2024-25). Betts repeated as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year with 2.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game and was awarded Big Ten Player of the Year; it marked the first time a Big Ten student-athlete had claimed both awards in the same season. The two-time Lisa Leslie Center of the Year averaged 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the NCAA tournament; Betts was named Most Outstanding Player for her performances during the 2026 March Madness run.
The Bruin center was an All-American for the second-consecutive season. She was included on the All-America First Teams for the Associated Press, USBWA, ESPN, The Athletic and Sports Illustrated. Betts was named the 2026 Honda Sport Award Winner for basketball and was a finalist for the Wade Trophy, Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year. She was also included on the Winter Academic All-Big Ten team, one of seven UCLA women's basketball student-athletes on the list. Betts was selected fourth overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2026 WNBA Draft, the first of a record-setting six players to be drafted from a single institution.
Dodd helped UCLA to its second NCAA title in as many years, with a thrilling 11-10 triumph over top-seeded USC proving the decider. He earned a spot on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team, scoring four goals during the three-game stretch. Dodd finished the season ranking among the team leaders in goals (fourth, 42), assists (tied for second, 42), steals (fourth, 24) and earned exclusions (fifth, 22). He earned ACWPC All-America recognition for the third time, and second as a first-teamer. Dodd's standout performance of 2025 came in the MPSF Invitational championship game, as the Long Beach, Calif. native recorded one of his three hat tricks to help eke out an 11-9 victory against California (Sept. 21). He finished his career with 138 goals and 117 assists across 102 games.
Dodd also piled up a number of accolades for his work outside of the pool, most recently garnering Academic All-District acclaim from College Sports Communicators. He also picked up three ACWPC All-Academic selections on the national level, as well as three from the MPSF, two from the Big Ten and one from the Pac-12 during his career.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. Big Ten schools currently feature more than 14,000 student-athletes, but only 36 earn the award on an annual basis. Since the Big Ten Medal of Honor was first presented more than a century ago, 1,724 student-athletes have earned this unique distinction. Those names are on permanent display at the Big Ten Office in Rosemont.
Pablo Ereño (men's golf) and Lilly Reale (women's soccer) were named UCLA's first-ever Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients in 2025. Below is the full listing of this year's recipients:
2026 Big Ten Medal of Honor Class
Illinois
Kenta Miyoshi, Tennis
McKenna Schaefbauer, Tennis
Indiana
Trelee Banks, Track & Field
Shay Ciezki, Basketball
Iowa
Will Ryan, Cross Country/Track & Field
Ava Bayless, Wrestling
Maryland
Will Schaller, Lacrosse
Kori Edmondson, Lacrosse
Michigan
Josh Eernisse, Ice Hockey
Abby Tamer, Field Hockey
Michigan State
Ozan Baris, Tennis
Nikki Smith, Gymnastics
Minnesota
Derik LeCaptain, Football
Amaya Battle, Basketball
Nebraska
Asher Cohen, Gymnastics
Axelina Johansson, Track & Field
Northwestern
Nick Martinelli, Basketball
Madison Taylor, Lacrosse
Ohio State
Bruce Thornton, Basketball
Lena Hentschel, Diving
Oregon
Matthew Erickson, Cross Country/Track & Field
Anna Simmons, Lacrosse
Penn State
Levi Haines, Wrestling
Tessa Janecke, Ice Hockey
Purdue
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Basketball
Daryn Wright, Diving
Rutgers
Athan Kaliakmanis, Football
Charlee Crawford, Track & Field
UCLA
Chase Dodd, Water Polo
Lauren Betts, Basketball
USC
Dillon Klein, Volleyball
Maribel Flores, Soccer
Washington
Jonah Coleman, Football
Lucy Newlin, Soccer
Wisconsin
Ben Dexheimer, Ice Hockey
Caroline Harvey, Ice Hockey
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 has demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their collegiate career. This year's class comprised student-athletes from 14 sports.
Betts led the Bruins in scoring (17.1 points per game) and rebounding (8.8 rebounds per game) on the way to UCLA's first-ever NCAA championship in 2025-26. She averaged a career-high 3.2 assists per game as a senior and was a consistent playmaker for UCLA. Betts became just the third player in NCAA history to have a season with 600-plus points, 300-plus rebounds, 100-plus assists and 75-plus blocks (Breanna Stewart three times, Cheryl Miller twice), anchoring the Bruins on both ends of the floor. She finished her career as UCLA's all-time leader in blocked shots (235) and was the only Bruin to swat 100 rejections in a single season (2024-25). Betts repeated as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year with 2.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game and was awarded Big Ten Player of the Year; it marked the first time a Big Ten student-athlete had claimed both awards in the same season. The two-time Lisa Leslie Center of the Year averaged 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the NCAA tournament; Betts was named Most Outstanding Player for her performances during the 2026 March Madness run.
The Bruin center was an All-American for the second-consecutive season. She was included on the All-America First Teams for the Associated Press, USBWA, ESPN, The Athletic and Sports Illustrated. Betts was named the 2026 Honda Sport Award Winner for basketball and was a finalist for the Wade Trophy, Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year. She was also included on the Winter Academic All-Big Ten team, one of seven UCLA women's basketball student-athletes on the list. Betts was selected fourth overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2026 WNBA Draft, the first of a record-setting six players to be drafted from a single institution.
Dodd helped UCLA to its second NCAA title in as many years, with a thrilling 11-10 triumph over top-seeded USC proving the decider. He earned a spot on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team, scoring four goals during the three-game stretch. Dodd finished the season ranking among the team leaders in goals (fourth, 42), assists (tied for second, 42), steals (fourth, 24) and earned exclusions (fifth, 22). He earned ACWPC All-America recognition for the third time, and second as a first-teamer. Dodd's standout performance of 2025 came in the MPSF Invitational championship game, as the Long Beach, Calif. native recorded one of his three hat tricks to help eke out an 11-9 victory against California (Sept. 21). He finished his career with 138 goals and 117 assists across 102 games.
Dodd also piled up a number of accolades for his work outside of the pool, most recently garnering Academic All-District acclaim from College Sports Communicators. He also picked up three ACWPC All-Academic selections on the national level, as well as three from the MPSF, two from the Big Ten and one from the Pac-12 during his career.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. Big Ten schools currently feature more than 14,000 student-athletes, but only 36 earn the award on an annual basis. Since the Big Ten Medal of Honor was first presented more than a century ago, 1,724 student-athletes have earned this unique distinction. Those names are on permanent display at the Big Ten Office in Rosemont.
Pablo Ereño (men's golf) and Lilly Reale (women's soccer) were named UCLA's first-ever Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients in 2025. Below is the full listing of this year's recipients:
2026 Big Ten Medal of Honor Class
Illinois
Kenta Miyoshi, Tennis
McKenna Schaefbauer, Tennis
Indiana
Trelee Banks, Track & Field
Shay Ciezki, Basketball
Iowa
Will Ryan, Cross Country/Track & Field
Ava Bayless, Wrestling
Maryland
Will Schaller, Lacrosse
Kori Edmondson, Lacrosse
Michigan
Josh Eernisse, Ice Hockey
Abby Tamer, Field Hockey
Michigan State
Ozan Baris, Tennis
Nikki Smith, Gymnastics
Minnesota
Derik LeCaptain, Football
Amaya Battle, Basketball
Nebraska
Asher Cohen, Gymnastics
Axelina Johansson, Track & Field
Northwestern
Nick Martinelli, Basketball
Madison Taylor, Lacrosse
Ohio State
Bruce Thornton, Basketball
Lena Hentschel, Diving
Oregon
Matthew Erickson, Cross Country/Track & Field
Anna Simmons, Lacrosse
Penn State
Levi Haines, Wrestling
Tessa Janecke, Ice Hockey
Purdue
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Basketball
Daryn Wright, Diving
Rutgers
Athan Kaliakmanis, Football
Charlee Crawford, Track & Field
UCLA
Chase Dodd, Water Polo
Lauren Betts, Basketball
USC
Dillon Klein, Volleyball
Maribel Flores, Soccer
Washington
Jonah Coleman, Football
Lucy Newlin, Soccer
Wisconsin
Ben Dexheimer, Ice Hockey
Caroline Harvey, Ice Hockey
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
ATK
/ Men's Water PoloWednesday, June 24
Wednesday, June 17
Friday, June 12
Tuesday, June 09