Yogi Ferrell and freshman swimmer Lilly King were named IU’s Athletes of the Year by IU Athletics.
“Yogi Ferrell and Lilly King are champions and record setters whose performances this past year make them more than worthy of joining the ranks of our legendary athletes who have earned our Athlete of the Year award,” IU Director of Athletics Fred Glass said in a press release. “Reaching our highest athletic potential and winning championships is a top priority, and these great athletes who performed spectacularly for two of our most honored programs are tremendous representatives of our championship heritage.”
Ferrell had a successful senior season, leading IU men’s basketball to a Big Ten conference championship and a berth in the Sweet Sixteen.
After finishing his career, Ferrell leaves IU as the all-time leader in games played and started with 137 games and the all-time leader in assists with 633.
Ferrell is sixth in career scoring with 1,986 points, second all-time with 272 3-point field goals made and first all-time among Hoosiers with 159 3-point field goals in Big Ten conference play.
Ferrell was a Wooden All-American and also earned All-American honors from the Sporting News, the NABC, USA Today, CBS Sports and the Associated Press.
“Yogi is leaving here as one of the great winners,” IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean said in a release. “There’s really no way anybody is going to be able to take that away from him. He won two outright championships in four years. He always set a tone with his work ethic here. He set a tone with how hard he practices. He set a tone with his competitiveness.”
King had a historic freshman season at IU, winning two NCAA championships while receiving many awards.
King is heading to the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, later this month.
She was the NCAA Champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke, CSCAA National Swimmer of the Year, unanimous Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, Big Ten Champion in the 10-meter and 200-meter breaststroke, Big Ten Rookie of the Year and first team All-Big Ten.
When she won the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke championships, King broke the American, NCAA, NCAA Meet, U.S. Open, Indiana school, Big Ten and Georgia Tech Pool records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke.
King was the first woman from the Big Ten to ever win two national championships in one year.
King also became the first Hoosier to win two championships in one year since Jim Montgomery did so in 1976.
“Lilly King had one of the most impressive freshman seasons in NCAA history,” IU swimming and diving Coach Ray Looze said in a release. “The best part about Lilly is how good of a person she is on a daily basis: team oriented, competitive, and she always puts the team goals ahead of individual ones. She has a very bright future and significant room to improve. It will be exciting to see where she can take her swimming career at Indiana.”
Andrew Hussey
