Krystal Leger-Walker, Colton Johnsen Named Tom Hansen Medal Winners
SAN FRANCISCO (June 22, 2022) – Washington State University women's basketball player Krystal Leger-Walker and men's distance runner Colton Johnsen were named the 2021-22 recipients of the Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Wednesday, June 22.
The Tom Hansen Conference Medal is awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding senior male and female student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics, and leadership.
Leger-Walker was a two-year member of the WSU Women's Basketball team from Waikato, New Zealand. She earned an undergraduate degree in finance and management and is pursuing a master's degree in sport management. Leger-Walker was a two-time Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll recipient (2021, 2022) and helped WSU Women's Basketball earn the program's first-ever WBCA Academic Top 25 honor in 2021. She was a two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honorable mention selection (2021, 2022) and was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 performer in 2021-22. Leger-Walker guided WSU to 31 wins during her two seasons on the Palouse, including a program-record of 19 overall wins and a program-best 11 Pac-12 victories during her final season in 2021-22. She also helped the Cougars make their first back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in program history (2021, 2022) and led the Pac-12 with 109 assists in the 2020-21 season. Her 243 total assists over her two seasons paced the league over the last two seasons. Leger-Walker also volunteered her time at WSU Athletics holiday events for local children.
Johnsen was a member of WSU's Men's Cross Country and Track & Field teams. The Bellingham, Washington native boasts a 4.0 GPA as an MBA candidate after earning an undergraduate degree in marketing from WSU. He was a 2022 Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll recipient and winner of WSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) True Cougar award, given to two senior student-athletes who started their WSU careers as non-scholarship student-athletes, and who, to their respective teams, define leadership, commitment to excellence and Cougar Pride. In only three years Johnsen became one of the greatest distance runners in school history. He was a six-time NCAA All-American, four indoor and two outdoor, and ranks in the top 10 in WSU history in five events. Johnsen volunteered time being a Coug Pal (Pen Pal) with local elementary kids.
Conference medal winners have been named every year since the 1960-61 academic year. In 2009, the Pac-12 renamed the award the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in honor of Hansen, who retired at the end of June 2009 after serving for 26 years as Commissioner of the Pac-10.