University Southern California Trojans
Dillon Klein and Maribel Flores Earn Big Ten Medals of Honor
June 25, 2026 | USC Athletics, Men's Volleyball, Women's Soccer
The men’s volleyball and women’s soccer standouts were named to the 112th Big Ten Medal of Honor Class
ROSEMONT, Ill. – USC men's volleyball outside hitter Dillon Klein (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Loyola HS) and soccer forward Maribel Flores (Fullerton, Calif./Troy HS) were each chosen to receive Big Ten Conference Medals of Honor as part of the league's 112th class, the Conference announced on Thursday, June 25.
Klein and Flores join baseball's Caden Aoki and women's volleyball's Gala Trubint who were chosen to the 111th class in 2025 following USC's first year (2024-25) as a member of the Big Ten.
Established in 1915, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is the conference's most prestigious award. It was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. Each year, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who has demonstrated excellence both on and off the field throughout their collegiate career. The 2025-26 class is comprised of student-athletes from 14 sports.
Big Ten schools currently feature more than 14,000 student-athletes, but only 36 earn the award on an annual basis. Since the Big Ten Medal of Honor was first presented more than a century ago, 1,724 student-athletes have earned this unique distinction. Names of each athlete selected for the honor are permanently displayed at the Big Ten offices in Rosemont.
Klein ranked second in the MSPF for kills (3.89 kps), points (4.61 pps), and attacks (7.78 aps); and was fifth in hitting percentage (.340) and 14th for service aces (0.35 saps). He was fifth in the NCAA for points and eighth in kills this season. Klein was named to the MPSF All-Conference first team and was chosen for the league's Offensive Player of the Week award three times (eight times in his career). Klein was also selected as the AVCA's National Player of the Week on April 7 which marked his third-career national weekly award. Klein—who served as a team captain this spring—concluded his illustrious USC career with 1,430 kills on 3,020 attacks, 88 service aces, 260 blocks, 493 digs, and a total of 1,666 points.
Flores—who signed a professional contract to play in Portugal this year—capped an all-time great Trojan career in 2025 by earning Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors to go with All-America, All-North Region, and All-Big Ten laurels in her final season at USC. The decorated forward led the Trojan attack all season and scoring nine goals to go with four assists while starting every game. Flores' goal total and 22 points ranked second in the Big Ten and her three game-winning goals were fifth in the conference. She posted three multi-goal games and her four assists tied for the team lead.
Klein and Flores join baseball's Caden Aoki and women's volleyball's Gala Trubint who were chosen to the 111th class in 2025 following USC's first year (2024-25) as a member of the Big Ten.
Established in 1915, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is the conference's most prestigious award. It was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. Each year, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who has demonstrated excellence both on and off the field throughout their collegiate career. The 2025-26 class is comprised of student-athletes from 14 sports.
Big Ten schools currently feature more than 14,000 student-athletes, but only 36 earn the award on an annual basis. Since the Big Ten Medal of Honor was first presented more than a century ago, 1,724 student-athletes have earned this unique distinction. Names of each athlete selected for the honor are permanently displayed at the Big Ten offices in Rosemont.
Klein ranked second in the MSPF for kills (3.89 kps), points (4.61 pps), and attacks (7.78 aps); and was fifth in hitting percentage (.340) and 14th for service aces (0.35 saps). He was fifth in the NCAA for points and eighth in kills this season. Klein was named to the MPSF All-Conference first team and was chosen for the league's Offensive Player of the Week award three times (eight times in his career). Klein was also selected as the AVCA's National Player of the Week on April 7 which marked his third-career national weekly award. Klein—who served as a team captain this spring—concluded his illustrious USC career with 1,430 kills on 3,020 attacks, 88 service aces, 260 blocks, 493 digs, and a total of 1,666 points.
Flores—who signed a professional contract to play in Portugal this year—capped an all-time great Trojan career in 2025 by earning Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors to go with All-America, All-North Region, and All-Big Ten laurels in her final season at USC. The decorated forward led the Trojan attack all season and scoring nine goals to go with four assists while starting every game. Flores' goal total and 22 points ranked second in the Big Ten and her three game-winning goals were fifth in the conference. She posted three multi-goal games and her four assists tied for the team lead.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Men's VolleyballTuesday, June 23
Thursday, May 14
Monday, October 06
Thursday, July 03
