Indiana University Athletics
11/12/2026 1:00:00 PM | General, Women's Basketball, Track and Field
ROSEMONT, ill. – Indiana track and field third year Garrett Messer and women's basketball third year forward Zania Socka-Nguemen were selected as Indiana's campus winners of the 2026-27 Jackie Robinson Impact Award presented by Discover campus winners, announced by the Big Ten on Wednesday (Nov. 12).
Now in its third year, the honor was created to recognize Big Ten student-athletes who strive to have a positive impact within their community in addition to excellence in competition.
From the collection of 36 local winners, two overall conference honorees will be selected and announced in the spring of 2027.
Messer is a fourth year from Greenwood, Indiana who is one of the all-time combined athletes in Indiana history. In 2025, Messer finished moved into the top-five in the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon all-time program rankings at the respective Big Ten Championship meets. Across ten career combined events, Messer has never finished lower than eighth and has seen six victories and eight top-five finishes.
Socka-Nguemen has scored in double figures in all three of IU's early season games, averaging 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. She's healthy after a season-ending injury in 2025-26 where she posted 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and a team-high six double-doubles.
#NeverDaunted
Now in its third year, the honor was created to recognize Big Ten student-athletes who strive to have a positive impact within their community in addition to excellence in competition.
From the collection of 36 local winners, two overall conference honorees will be selected and announced in the spring of 2027.
Messer is a fourth year from Greenwood, Indiana who is one of the all-time combined athletes in Indiana history. In 2025, Messer finished moved into the top-five in the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon all-time program rankings at the respective Big Ten Championship meets. Across ten career combined events, Messer has never finished lower than eighth and has seen six victories and eight top-five finishes.
Socka-Nguemen has scored in double figures in all three of IU's early season games, averaging 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. She's healthy after a season-ending injury in 2025-26 where she posted 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and a team-high six double-doubles.
| Insitution | Name | Sport |
| Illinois | Brandon Henderson | Football |
| Illinois | Martina Cibulkova | Swimming & Dive |
| Indiana | Garrett Messer | Track & Field |
| Indiana | Zania Socka-Nguemen | Basketball |
| Iowa | Jayden Montgomery | Football |
| Iowa | Grace Ryan | Rowing |
| Maryland | AJ Larkin | Lacrosse |
| Maryland | Ogechi Uzoukwu | Track & Field |
| Michigan | Jordan Marshall | Football |
| Michigan | Stella Nolan | Lacrosse |
| Michigan State | David Anderson | Soccer |
| Michigan State | Gabrielle Jefferies | Track & Field |
| Minnesota | Jayden Edmonson | Swimming & Dive |
| Minnesota | Taylor Isabel | Cross Country | Track & Field |
| Nebraska | Evan McDermott | Golf |
| Nebraska | Allison Weidner | Basketball |
| Northwestern | Josh Fussell | Football |
| Northwestern | Drew Wright | Volleyball |
| Ohio State | Taji Flynn | Lacrosse |
| Ohio State | Bryn Martin | Basketball |
| Oregon | Javon McRae II | Football |
| Oregon | Taylour Spencer | Softball |
| Penn State | Cooper Cousins | Football |
| Penn State | Sydney Manning | Lacrosse |
| Purdue | CJ Madden | Football |
| Purdue | Paige Hazelrigg | Cross Country | Track & Field |
| Rutgers | Darren Buchanan Jr. | Basketball |
| Rutgers | Lorena Rossettin | Golf |
| UCLA | Zeke Johnson | Football |
| UCLA | Kaho Cichon | Cross Country | Track & Field |
| USC | Racquill Broderick | Track & Field |
| USC | Madison Whyte | Track & Field |
| Washington | Bodi Ligons | Track & Field |
| Washington | Niamh Comerford | Rowing |
| Wisconsin | Charles Perkins | Football |
| Wisconsin | Hannah Conger | Softball |
#NeverDaunted
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWednesday, November 11
Wednesday, November 11
Tuesday, November 10
Tuesday, November 10