April 27, 2010

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue seniors FahKara Malone and Chris Kramer each received the Big Ten Medal of Honor for the 2009-10 academic year at the John Purdue Club's annual Senior Salute on Monday night.

First awarded in 1914, the Big Ten endowed a Medal of Honor to be given annually to a student in the graduating class of each university who demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics. In 1982, the Medal of Honor was expanded to include a senior female student-athlete from each institution.

Malone imprinted her name all over the Purdue women's basketball record book during her tenure in West Lafayette. A three-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection, she set the school record for career steals, surpassing two-time All-American Katie Douglas and finishing with 351 thefts.

Malone became the second Boilermaker to record over 1,000 points, 500 assists, 300 rebounds and 300 steals, and just the fourth to register at least 100 assists in each of her four years. The Evansville, Ind., native led Purdue in assists, steals and minutes played in 2009-10 and finished her career with a 90-49 record, two Big Ten Tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances that resulted in two Elite Eights.

The 5-3 point guard finished her career ranked third in program history in games started (124), fourth in minutes played (4,267), fifth in career assists (513) and ninth in three-point field goals (130).

The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree will graduate in May with a degree in psychology.

Kramer finished his career as Purdue's all-time steals leader, and ranks fourth on the all-time Big Ten chart, with 274 thefts, including at least one in 92 of his last 101 games for the Boilermakers. He also ranks third in games played (133) and games started (114), fourth in minutes played (3,704) and 13th in assists (337) at Purdue. He is the only player in conference history to be named to the Big Ten All-Defensive in each of his four seasons, and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in both 2008 and 2010.

The Huntington, Ind., native helped lead the Boilermakers to a share of their first Big Ten title since 1996 as a senior, averaging 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting a team-best 56.5 percent from the field. Kramer leaves Purdue as part of the winningest class in program history, having propelled the Boilermakers to 103 victories in his four years. He also won a Big Ten Tournament title in 2009 and played in four NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Sweet 16 in each of the last two years.

Also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2010, Kramer will graduate in May with a degree in organizational leadership and supervision.

Since the introduction of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, more than 1,100 student-athletes have been awarded the honor. Purdue's honorees will be forwarded to the Big Ten office, which will name a male and female overall winner later in the spring.

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