ROSEMONT, Ill. - Fighting Illini freshman Alex Wittinger and sophomore Chatrice White were recognized Monday (Feb. 29) by the Big Ten Conference, as the league released its 2016 All-Big Ten Awards. White was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, while WIttinger earned All-Freshman Team recognition. Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons was also recognized by the league as Illinois' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree. 

White took advantage of her sophomore season after a breakout freshman year with the Illini. She racked up a Big Ten leading 18 double-doubles during the regular season, ranking among the top-6 in the nation. She averages 18.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game to lead the Illini, and with 16 more points she will become one of the fastest in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

The Shelby, Nebraska, native is No. 3 in the Big Ten in rebounding and blocked shots (2.1 per game). After a record-setting 60 blocks in her freshman season, White continues to move up Illinois' season blocked shots list as she has recorded 62 rejections so far this year (sixth in Illinois' single-season history). Her 122 career blocks ranks sixth all-time at Illinois.

White also recorded the second 30-point game of her career this season, putting up 35 points against Michigan. She is the first Illini to score 35+ points in a game since 2001. The honor is the third in White's career as she was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors last season. 

Wittinger was chosen to the All-Freshman team by the league's coaches, marking the first All-Big Ten honor of her career. She is averaging 10.1 points per game and her 6.9 rebounds per game rank 12th in the Big Ten. Wittinger is second in the league with 3.3 offensive rebounds per game, while her 1.7 blocked shots sit fifth in the conference. The 6-foot-1 forward has recorded four double-doubles and has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice.  

Simmons, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, leads the team with 105 assists and also knocks down 2.5 three-pointers per game. She's currently pursuing her masters' degree in Recreation, Sport and Tourism. The students chosen for the Sportsmanship award are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

The Big Ten announced two sets of postseason honors this week, one group as voted on by the conference head coaches, and a second group as elected by select members of the media. Both voting groups elected a first team and a second team of 10 players each, as well as a Player of the Year, a Freshman of the Year and a Coach of the Year. Additionally, the coaches decided on an All-Defensive Team and an All-Freshman Team, both featuring five players, as well as a Defensive Player of the Year and a Sixth Player of the Year.

The full All-Big Ten release can be found here. 

Illinois will prepare for the 2016 Big Ten Tournament, as the No. 14-seed Illini are set to face No. 11-seed Penn State at approximately 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 2. Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for the latest on the Illinois women's basketball team.