MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's Joel Stave and Kelsey Card were honored Monday with the Big Ten Conference's most prestigious award.

Stave, the winningest quarterback in the history of the UW football program, and Card, a national champion and seven-time All-American in women's track and field, are Wisconsin's recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is being presented for the 102nd year in 2015-16.

"I want to congratulate Joel and Kelsey on this tremendous honor," UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said. "We strive for success in the classroom and in the field of play and these two exemplify that. Joel and Kelsey have made great contributions to our program throughout their careers and have put themselves in a position to be successful no matter what their future holds."

The Big Ten Medal of Honor is given annually at each conference institution to a male and female student-athlete in the graduating class who has demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and sport. The conference's most exclusive award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence.

Joel Stave

Wisconsin's starting quarterback across four seasons, Stave led Wisconsin to a school-record 31 victories — including back-to-back bowl wins over Auburn in the Outback Bowl following the 2014 season and USC in the Holiday Bowl to conclude the 2015 campaign.

"I'm very proud of Joel and his accomplishments," UW football head coach Paul Chryst said. "He was a tremendous competitor on the field and great leader for us. Those characteristics were evident in the classroom as well. I was lucky enough to be around him at both the start and end of his career and very much enjoyed watching his growth. He is very deserving of this distinguished award."

Stave was named Offensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl after completing 18 of 27 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown, capping a senior season in which he tied the school record with 225 completions and threw for 2,687 yards, the fourth-highest total in UW history.

A four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Stave graduated in December with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

He finished his career with a 31-10 overall record as UW's starting quarterback, including a 22-6 mark in Big Ten games that set school records for wins and winning percentage (.786) in conference games. He also became the first quarterback in school history to post a 4-0 record against an opponent, doing so against Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota.

Stave threw for 7,635 yards and 48 touchdowns in his career, ranking second in school history in both categories. He also ranks No. 2 all-time at UW in passing attempts (1,031) and completions (613). He threw for 200-plus yards in a game 18 times, the most in school history.

Stave earned invitations to the East-West Shrine Game and NFL Scouting Combine following his senior season and signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in May.

Kelsey Card

The most successful field event competitor in the history of Wisconsin's women's track and field program, Card capped her Badgers career by winning a national championship over the weekend. The Plainview, Illinois, native placed herself among the elite throwers in collegiate history by claiming the discus title at the NCAA outdoor championships with a record-setting effort of 208 feet, 5 inches.

"We're very proud of Kelsey's hard work in the classroom, where she maintained a high GPA while double-majoring, and on the track," UW Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mick Byrne said. "She is the complete student-athlete and we are proud of all of her achievements. There are so many outstanding student-athletes here at Wisconsin, so it's always special when one of our track and field athletes receives this prestigious honor from the conference."

Card finished her collegiate career as a seven-time All-American, an impressive total that includes runner-up finishes in both the shot put and discus at the NCAA outdoor championships as a junior in addition to her national title as a senior. She also won seven Big Ten championships, four indoors and three outdoors.

Outdoors, she holds the Big Ten's all-time record in both the shot put and discus, and her national championship-winning discus mark ranks her seventh all-time among collegians in the event. Most impressively, she is the only woman in collegiate history to surpass 60 feet in the shot put and 200 feet in both the discus and hammer throw.

Card also is UW's school record-holder in both indoor throws events, the shot put and weight throw. She pulled off a sweep of the Big Ten indoor titles in both events as a junior in 2015 and again as a senior in 2016.

She was named Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year both indoors and outdoors by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this season, in addition to sweeping the Big Ten's indoor and outdoor Field Athlete of the Year honors.

The fourth-place finisher in the discus at each of the last two U.S. championship meets, Card seeks a top-three finish at next month's USA Olympic Trials to earn a spot on the American team for the upcoming Games in Rio de Janeiro.

A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Card earned a pair of bachelor's degrees in human development & family studies and gender & women's studies in May.

WISCONSIN'S BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS

The Big Ten Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1915 to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who had "attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work." Winners in 1964 were the 50th annual recipients of the Medal of Honor. The 2014 winners were the 100th honorees. Beginning in 1982, a senior woman student-athlete from each institution has also been awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor.