Bruce Thornton’s collegiate career is over, but the former Ohio State men’s basketball player is still winning awards.
The first four-time captain in program history was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor and the Eugene D. Smith Award during the school’s annual scholar-athlete awards ceremony held April 13 at the Covelli Center. Thornton was one of 11 finalists for the men’s Medal of Honor award, given annually to one male and one female athlete who has “attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.”
The Medal of Honor has been awarded for 112 years and is regarded as the conference’s most prestigious individual award. Thornton is the first Ohio State men’s basketball player to earn it since Aaron Craft in 2014 and only the second since James Cleamons in 1971. He is the 13th men’s basketball player to win the award.
On the women’s side, diver Lena Hentschel was Ohio State’s recipient.
Thornton also earned the award named after Ohio State’s former athletic director, established in 2024 and given annually to “one student-athlete who embodies the mission of The Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute by exhibiting the highest level of character and leadership.” Hentschel also won the award on the women’s side.
In four years as a starter for the Buckeyes, Thornton finished his career as the all-time leading scorer with 2,164 points and was named second-team all-Big Ten and an honorable mention Associated Press All-American.
Diver Lena Hentschel earns two awards
Hentschel has been a two-time first-team all-Big Ten pick and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree as well as a three-time Ohio State Scholar Athlete. She was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2025 and a CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American in 2024.
She is also a two-time Big Ten champion in the women’s 1-meter dive, a three-time NCAA qualifier, a two-time Olympian and a two-time All-American in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bruce Thornton earns Ohio State men’s Big Ten Medal of Honor
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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