Every year, the Pac-12 selects a senior male and female student-athlete from each school to receive the Tom Hansen medal, which was renamed in 2009 after Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen, who served the conference for 26 years.
The award is given to outstanding athletes who display the “greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics, and leadership.” In 2024, the Pac-12 recognized Rome Odunze and Brooke Nelson to receive the award.
Odunze had arguably the greatest season of any wide receiver in Washington history, recording 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 15 total touchdowns as he helped lead the Huskies all the way to the national championship.
He was named a Consensus All-American before being selected No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bears in April’s NFL draft.
Nelson was a dominant two-way player for coach Heather Tarr on the softball field. At the plate, Nelson posted a .323 batting average and 1.093 OPS with a career-best 12 home runs and 37 runs batted in. She also tallied a 5-1 record in the circle, including a no-hitter, 2.02 ERA, and 35 strikeouts over 34 2/3 innings.
Those numbers led Nelson to a spot on the NFCA’s First Team All-America in her final year of eligibility, and the No. 5 spot in Softball America’s two-way player rankings.