Neustrom, Flores Named Michigan's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners
6/20/2023 11:00:00 AM | Baseball, Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Men's Track & Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Gymnastics, Women's Lacrosse, Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Track & Field, Volleyball, Water Polo, Wrestling
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- University of Michigan water polo graduate student Erin Neustrom and baseball senior Tito Flores were named U-M's Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2022-23 academic year by the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday (June 20).
Neustrom was active in the community, working with local elementary schools and making visits to Mott Children's Hospital. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree during her undergraduate pursuit of a degree in sport management, Neustrom was enrolled in real estate development as a graduate student. A great leader in and out of the pool, she earned three honorable mention All-America citations throughout her career and helped Michigan to three Collegiate Water Polo Association championships.
Neustrom grabbed All-America honorable mention from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches after her final season in the maize and blue. The Moraga, Calif., native played in all 33 games while earning All-CWPA first-team honors and setting a career record for drawn exclusions with 256. In addition, she scored a single-season best 45 goals after scoring 43 the previous year and ended her career with 177 goals and 21 assists for 198 points.
A captain in his final season at Michigan, Flores graduated from U-M with a degree in sport management as a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. A native of Detroit, he served the community throughout his time at Michigan. He routinely stayed after games to sign autographs for kids, helped with ChadTough events and visited Mott Children's Hospital. Over the last three seasons, Flores played in all but one contest, finishing his career with a .292 batting average and 24 home runs.
As a senior in 2023, Flores hit .274 with six home runs, ending the season on a 20-game on-base streak and earning a spot on the Big Ten all-tournament team. He appeared in all but one game this season, starting 43 times in left field en route to a perfect fielding percentage. After a slow start to the season offensively, he found his form in the last month to bring his average up more than 80 points from April to May. One of the hardest workers on the team, he also helped mentor a class of eight freshmen.
2022-23 Michigan Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Winners
Baseball: Tito Flores
Men's Basketball: Joey Baker
Women's Basketball: Emily Kiser
Men's Cross Country: Jack Spamer
Women's Cross Country: Ericka VanderLende
Field Hockey: Nina Apoola
Football: Olusegun Oluwatimi
Men's Golf: James Hill
Women's Golf: Anika Dy
Men's Gymnastics: Adam Wooten
Women's Gymnastics: Ashley Lane
Ice Hockey: Jay Keranen
Men's Lacrosse: Bryce Clay
Women's Lacrosse: Frances Workman
Rowing: Nicole Manalac
Men's Soccer: Christian Pulselli
Women's Soccer: Avery Kalitta
Softball: Keke Tholl
Men's Swimming and Diving: Andrew Trepanier
Women's Swimming and Diving: Octavia Lau
Men's Tennis: Nino Ehrenschneider
Women's Tennis: Lily Jones
Men's Indoor Track and Field: Cole Johnson
Women's Indoor Track and Field: Savannah Sutherland
Men's Outdoor Track and Field: Tom Brady
Women's Outdoor Track and Field: Ericka VanderLende
Volleyball: Maddie Dowd
Water Polo: Erin Neustrom
Wrestling: Matt Finesilver
Players Mentioned
