Michigan State announces major athletic award winners for 2020-2021

Michigan State recently announced its major athletic award-winners for the 2020-2021 campaign. The awards include the prestigious George Alderton Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Chester Brewer Leadership Award, Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award, Big Ten Conference Medals of Honor and the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. The winners were selected by a panel of administrators and coaches.

The Spartan student-athletes who won the awards are as follows:

George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year – Morgan Beadlescomb (cross country/track & field)

George Alderton Female Athlete of the Year – Jenna Magness (cross country/track & field)

Chester Brewer Leadership Award – Joshua Langford (basketball)

Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award – Caroline Szabo (tennis)

Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor (Male) – Bryce Kelley (baseball)

Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor (Female) – Amanda Ling (swimming & diving)

Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award – James Piot (golf)/Brooke Bogan (track & field)

Beadlescomb, the George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year, earned All-American honors in cross country, and both indoor and outdoor track & field.

He earned his cross country All-American nod at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, finishing 33rd with a time of 30:40.3. This would be his only cross country race of the shortened season.

Beadlescomb then won his first Big Ten Outdoor gold medal in the 5,000 meters at the Big Ten Championship with a time of 13:49.05. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, he finished eighth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:21.40, which was a new school record.

At the end of the 2021 campaign, Beadlescomb helped the Spartans finish sixth in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) final standings with 113.5 points.

After finishing the collegiate season, Beadlescomb competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing sixth in the 5,000 meters finals, but he did not qualify for Tokyo despite the valiant effort.

Beadlescomb is the fifth different track & field athlete to be named the George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year, joining Tim Ehrhardt (2017-2018), Brad Gebauer (2006), Paul Terek (2002) and Anthony Hamm (1992). Former Michigan State basketball great Cassius Winston won the award in 2020.

Jenna Magness, the George Alderton Female Athlete of the Year, also had an impressive campaign in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field.

At the Big Ten Championships, Magness helped Michigan State capture its second-straight Big Ten title in cross country, as the Spartans finished with 48 points. Magness finished in third place to lead MSU with a time of 20:30.1. She then went on to help the Spartans finish in fourth place at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, which was the Spartans’ best finish since winning the title in 2014. Magness was named Great Lakes Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

In the indoor season, Magness won her first Big Ten title in the 5,000 meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championship with a time of 15:51.46, earning first-team honors. Magness went on to earn Great Lakes Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors. Magness also earned All-American honors after finishing seventh at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:53.73.

For the outdoor season, Magness won the 5,000 meters at the Big Ten Outdoor Championship with a time of 15:38.82, taking home first-team All-Big Ten honors once again. She then went on to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:32.91 — a new school record — earning All-American honors.

This is the third-straight year that a Spartan track & field athlete has earned the George Alderton Female Athlete of the Year honor, joining Annie Fuller (2020) and Aysa Reynolds (2019). This is the 15th time overall a track & field athlete has won the award.

As for Joshua Langford of Michigan State men’s basketball earning the Chester Brewer Leadership Award, Spartans fans shouldn’t be surprised. Langford missed about a year-and-a-half due to a stress fracture in his foot, which required two surgeries, before battling his way back on the court for the 2020-2021 season. He helped lead Michigan State to its 23rd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Caroline Szabo of the Tennis team takes home the Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award, while Bryce Kelley (baseball) and Amanda Ling (swimming & diving) each earn the Big Ten Medal of Honor. James Piot (golf) and Brooke Bogan (track & field) were recognized as Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award recipients.

Additionally, Michigan State had 269 student-athletes make the Big Ten’s list of Distinguished Scholars, including 83 Spartans who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA during the previous academic term.

Congratulations to all of the award-winners and Big Ten Distinguished Scholars. Go Green!