SAN FRANCISCO – Tanner Hall (Sun Devil Wrestling) and Robbi Ryan (Sun Devil Women's Basketball) are the 2019-20 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Medal award winners from Arizona State, as announced by the conference on Thursday. The honor is given annually to an outstanding senior male and female student-athlete from each of the conference's 12 institutions for "the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics, and leadership."
Hall becomes the sixth Sun Devil wrestler in program history to receive the conference honor and the first since Anthony Robles in 2011. Named the Pac-12's 2020 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in wrestling and a member of ASU's Barrett, The Honors College, Hall completed both his undergraduate (2019/3.60 GPA) and master's (2020/3.60 GPA) degrees in electrical engineering. He was also a two-time NWCA All-Academic selection and a 2020 NWCA Scholar All-American in addition to twice being named to the Pac-12 All-Academic First Team and the 2020 Pac-12 Winter Honor Roll.
The graduate senior from Meridian, Idaho, was an important cog to the Sun Devils success since stepping foot on campus back in 2015. He compiled more than 100 wins in an ASU singlet and won a pair of Pac-12 titles at heavyweight. He notched his first All-American honor at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a third-place finish. In April, Hall became the first ASU heavyweight wrestler to clinch two All-American awards since Cain Velasquez (2005, 2006). In 2020, Hall's title helped ASU garner its third Pac-12 title in four seasons while scoring the highest conference tournament point total (141.5) since 1993. Hall's contributions were integral in the team earning a 15-2 dual mark in 2002 (highest win total since 1989-90), including seven wins over Top 25 teams, punctuated by its upset of top-ranked Penn State.
During his time at ASU, Hall participated in numerous Sun Devil Caravans and Sparky's Tours which included character presentations at elementary schools and participation in various service projects.
Hailing from Sheridan, Wyo., Ryan is the sixth Sun Devil women's basketball player and the third in five years – Elisha Davis in 2016, Kianna Ibis in 2019 – to earn the award. Ryan earned her undergraduate degree (3.62 GPA) in Psychology with a minor in African and African American Studies in only 3.5 years. This fall Ryan, who earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2018 (second team) and 2019 (honorable mention) and was recently named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll, will complete her master's degree in Higher and Post Secondary Education (currently has 3.95 GPA).
A starter in 103 of 131 career games, Ryan finished her career with 1,127 points and 103 3-pointers. She capped her career by earning All-Pac-12 honors in 2020 after being named All-Pac-12 honorable mention/Pac-12 All-Defense honorable mention recognition in 2018. As a senior in 2020, Ryan finished second on the team in scoring and 3-pointers, was third in steals, fourth in assists and fifth in rebounds in leading the program to its school record seventh-straight, 20-win season. The Sun Devils were preparing to extend their school record for NCAA Tournament appearances to seven before the season was canceled on March 12 due to the current pandemic.
Ryan participated in more than 70 hours of community service in her four years. Among the service projects Ryan participated in were the department's annual teddy bear donation, the team's kids clinic, Pat's Run and the team's annual Character Code initiative (members of team present assemblies to elementary school kids about good character).
Last month, Ryan shared her personal story of dealing with mental illness on thesundevils.com in an effort spread awareness about mental health. Ryan campaigned for the cause throughout Mental Health Awareness Month as her story was also featured by Pac-12 Networks, The Arizona Republic and 12 News (local NBC affiliate).
Hall becomes the sixth Sun Devil wrestler in program history to receive the conference honor and the first since Anthony Robles in 2011. Named the Pac-12's 2020 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in wrestling and a member of ASU's Barrett, The Honors College, Hall completed both his undergraduate (2019/3.60 GPA) and master's (2020/3.60 GPA) degrees in electrical engineering. He was also a two-time NWCA All-Academic selection and a 2020 NWCA Scholar All-American in addition to twice being named to the Pac-12 All-Academic First Team and the 2020 Pac-12 Winter Honor Roll.
The graduate senior from Meridian, Idaho, was an important cog to the Sun Devils success since stepping foot on campus back in 2015. He compiled more than 100 wins in an ASU singlet and won a pair of Pac-12 titles at heavyweight. He notched his first All-American honor at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a third-place finish. In April, Hall became the first ASU heavyweight wrestler to clinch two All-American awards since Cain Velasquez (2005, 2006). In 2020, Hall's title helped ASU garner its third Pac-12 title in four seasons while scoring the highest conference tournament point total (141.5) since 1993. Hall's contributions were integral in the team earning a 15-2 dual mark in 2002 (highest win total since 1989-90), including seven wins over Top 25 teams, punctuated by its upset of top-ranked Penn State.
During his time at ASU, Hall participated in numerous Sun Devil Caravans and Sparky's Tours which included character presentations at elementary schools and participation in various service projects.
Hailing from Sheridan, Wyo., Ryan is the sixth Sun Devil women's basketball player and the third in five years – Elisha Davis in 2016, Kianna Ibis in 2019 – to earn the award. Ryan earned her undergraduate degree (3.62 GPA) in Psychology with a minor in African and African American Studies in only 3.5 years. This fall Ryan, who earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2018 (second team) and 2019 (honorable mention) and was recently named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll, will complete her master's degree in Higher and Post Secondary Education (currently has 3.95 GPA).
A starter in 103 of 131 career games, Ryan finished her career with 1,127 points and 103 3-pointers. She capped her career by earning All-Pac-12 honors in 2020 after being named All-Pac-12 honorable mention/Pac-12 All-Defense honorable mention recognition in 2018. As a senior in 2020, Ryan finished second on the team in scoring and 3-pointers, was third in steals, fourth in assists and fifth in rebounds in leading the program to its school record seventh-straight, 20-win season. The Sun Devils were preparing to extend their school record for NCAA Tournament appearances to seven before the season was canceled on March 12 due to the current pandemic.
Ryan participated in more than 70 hours of community service in her four years. Among the service projects Ryan participated in were the department's annual teddy bear donation, the team's kids clinic, Pat's Run and the team's annual Character Code initiative (members of team present assemblies to elementary school kids about good character).
Last month, Ryan shared her personal story of dealing with mental illness on thesundevils.com in an effort spread awareness about mental health. Ryan campaigned for the cause throughout Mental Health Awareness Month as her story was also featured by Pac-12 Networks, The Arizona Republic and 12 News (local NBC affiliate).