Big Ten Announces 2024 Men’s Gymnastics Individual Awards

ROSEMONT, Ill.  — The Big Ten Conference announced the 2024 men’s gymnastics individual award recipients on Tuesday. Michigan’s Fred Richard earned Big Ten Gymnast of the Year honors, while Illinois’ Brandon Dang was selected as Big Ten Freshman of the Year, following a vote by the conference’s head coaches.

Richard is the 10th Michigan gymnast selected as Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and the second current Wolverine to earn the honor, as teammate Paul Juda received the accolade in 2021 and 2022. He also joins Juda as two of seven gymnasts in conference history to be named Gymnast of the Year one season after earning Freshman of the Year honors.

Richard won 12 individual event titles through the season, claiming wins in five of the six event disciplines. Among Richard’s victories was a winning score of 15.300 on the high bar against Penn State, the nation’s highest score on the apparatus this season. The Stoughton, Mass. native also leads the nation on the high bar, posting a four-score average of 14.517.

Dang becomes the eighth Illinois gymnast named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first since Michael Fletcher in 2019. A native of San Jose, Calif., Dang was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times, while collecting three Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week honors.

Dang has claimed six pommel horse titles this season, posting a season-high score of 15.200 at Michigan and owns a nation-leading 15.017 four-score average on the apparatus. The pommel horse specialist also won a silver medal at the 2024 Winter Cup, posting a score of 14.850.

Also on Tuesday, the Big Ten recognized the five men’s gymnastics Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

The 2024 Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Illinois’ State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. The meet will begin at 8 p.m. (ET) both nights and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, as well as streamed live on the FOX Sports app. Additional information will be available on the Championships web site at MGYM Championships.

The Big Ten Coach of the Year and Gymnast of the Championships awards will be selected by the conference coaches during this weekend’s meet and will be announced, along with the all-conference teams, following the Championships.

2024 BIG TEN MEN’S GYMNASTICS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Gymnast of the Year: Fred Richard, Michigan

Freshman of the Year: Brandon Dang, Illinois

BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES

Will Hauke, Illinois

Lais Najjar, Michigan

Cooper Giles, Nebraska

Tyler Rockwood, Ohio State

Ian Raubal, Penn State