Good Karma Brands is set to host the fifth annual Wisconsin Sports Awards Tuesday, and there is no shortage of Badgers set to be honored.
The event is put on to celebrate the best in high school, collegiate and professional sports in Wisconsin over the past year and will feature guest appearances by some of Wisconsin’s most recognizable athletes.
In addition, the awards show will be available to stream for the first time on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
Here are the categories where both current and former Badgers are set to be honored:
Homegrown Athlete of the Year
Three former Badgers are up for nomination in this category in offensive lineman Joe Thomas, defensive end J.J. Watt and quarterback Russell Wilson.
[UPDATED]: Russell Wilson announced as spring 2016 commencement speaker
Between the three former University of Wisconsin football players, they have 16 NFL Pro Bowl appearances, four All-Big Ten awards and two first-team All-American honors (Watt and Thomas).
While Wilson, being a fifth-year transfer at Wisconsin, isn’t exactly “homegrown” — he is a native of Richmond, Virginia — both Watt and Thomas are from southeastern Wisconsin, with Watt growing up in Pewaukee and Thomas being raised in Brookfield.
Moment of the Year
Wisconsin’s victory over Kentucky in last year’s Final Four may not just be the best moment of year, but the best moment in the history of UW athletics as the most talented Wisconsin men’s basketball team to ever take the hardwood defeated what was thought to be one of the greatest college teams ever assembled.
And while the loss in the championship game to Duke led to the always inevitable disappointing end to the season for Wisconsin, it doesn’t take away from the moment the Badgers handed the Wildcats their first loss of the entire season.
Dream Team of the Year
While what exactly qualifies as a “dream team” isn’t exactly clear, both the Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team and football team are nominated for this award.
Men’s basketball: Badgers feel the sting of March, fall in Sweet Sixteen
The men’s basketball team finished this past season in disappointing fashion in the Sweet 16 against Notre Dame after they gave up a late three-point lead in a matter of 20 seconds. They did, however, manage one of the greatest turnarounds in the sports’ history under the direction of new head coach Greg Gard.
The football team, on the other hand, finished the season on a very high note when they defeated the University of South California 23-21 in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30.
Brazzoni: Victory over USC defines what Wisconsin football meant in 2015
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
During last season’s run to the Final Four, then-head coach Bo Ryan said freshman Ethan Happ was the team’s most improved player despite him being elected to redshirt the season and never seeing the floor.
In his debut season, the redshirt freshman did not disappoint, as he finished the season with averages of 12.4 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game. He also led the Big Ten with 1.8 steals per game en route to be awarded with All-Big Ten defensive team honors.
Other award categories UW athletics could find themselves in are College Athlete of the Year, College Team of the Year, Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year, whose nominees are to be announced at the event.
