by Madison.com sports , The Capital Times

Jessie Vetter -- who capped her stellar career by backstopping the Badgers to a third NCAA title -- claimed top female honors, while WCHA Player of the Year Jamie McBain was named top male.

Both were nominated for the Big Ten Conference's top honor, but those went to Purdue women's golfer Maria Hernandez and Northwestern wrestler Jake Herbert (scroll down for a full list of finalists).

Vetter, a former Monona Grove athlete, was chosen by USA Hockey as the Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year and is currently a leading contender for a spot on the 2010 Olympic team.

She capped her career at Wisconsin with an incredible senior season that also landed her the 2009 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

She became the first goaltender in history to start four consecutive NCAA championship games. En route to the third title, Vetter set an NCAA record with 14 shutouts, owned a 33-2-5 record and garnered a national-best .942 save percentage.

Additionally, Vetter led the U.S. Women's National Team to tournament titles at the 2008 Women's Four Nations Cup and the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship, marking the first time Team USA earned championships at both international tournaments of the season.

McBain, a defenseman, was a first-team All-American and a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. He was also named by Insidecollegehockey.com as the INCH Defenseman of the Year.

McBain, who will pass on his senior season after signing a professional contract with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, completed the 2008-09 season as Wisconsin's top scorer and in a tie for second in the nation among defensemen with 30 assists and 37 points.

Just the fifth Badger blue liner to lead the team in scoring, he was the first UW defenseman and seventh Badger named WCHA Player of the Year. He is also the eighth Badger named a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist and the first defenseman.

McBain finished his Badger playing career with 111 games played, 15 goals, 64 assists and 79 points in three years. He also totaled 34 penalties, 84 penalty minutes, 10 power-play goals, a short-handed tally, a pair of game-winning goals and a game-tying goal.

Northwestern's Herbert, a two-time NCAA Champion, closed out his career on a 66-match winning streak, including a perfect 34-0 record in 2009. He was awarded the 2009 Dan Hodge Trophy, which is presented to college wrestling's most dominant performer. Herbert won three Big Ten titles in his career and was named this year's Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.

Purdue's Hernandez became the first Big Ten student-athlete to win the NCAA Women's Golf Championship in the spring. She also was named the Honda Sports Award winner, the PING/NGCA National Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year after winning her second straight Big Ten title and leading the Boilermakers to the team's third conference championship in the last four years.

The Big Ten Conference has recognized a Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year since 1982. The following year, a women's award was created. In 1991-92, as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of women's athletics in the conference, the women's award was renamed in honor of former Wisconsin track standout and three-time recipient Suzy Favor.

For a list of past Wisconsin athletes of the year, click here.

2009 Big Ten ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

Illinois Men: Paul Ruggeri (gymnastics) Women: Angela Bizzarri (cross country/track) Indiana Men: Jorge Campillo (golf) Women: Christina Loukas (diving) Iowa Men: Shonn Greene ( football ) Women: Racheal Marchand (cross country/track) Michigan Men: Steve Luke (wrestling) Women: Tiffany Ofili (track) Michigan State Men: Franklin Gomez (wrestling) Women: Nicole Bush (cross country/track) Minnesota Men: Eric Decker ( football /baseball) Women: Gigi Marvin (ice hockey) Northwestern Men: Jake Herbert (wrestling) Women: Hannah Nielsen (lacrosse) Ohio State Men: J Jaggers (wrestling) Women: Jantel Lavender (basketball) Penn State Men: Casey Sandy (gymnastics) Women: Nicole Fawcett (volleyball) Purdue Men: David Boudia (diving) Women: Maria Hernandez (golf) Wisconsin Men: Jamie McBain (ice hockey) Women: Jessie Vetter (ice hockey)

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