STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Wisconsin’s 32 top scholar athletes, 16 senior girls and 16 senior boys from public and nonpublic high schools, have been selected as the 2014 State Scholar Athlete recipients by the WIAA. 

These individuals achieved the top combined classroom and sports performances during their four years in high school to be selected as winners for the 31st annual 2014 WIAA Scholar Athlete Awards underwritten by Marshfield Clinic.

                   Biographical Profiles of Recipients:  Boys  |  Girls  | Scholar Athlete Page 

To determine the top 32 finalists, four boys and four girls are selected from each of four WIAA divisions based on both athletic and academic achievement. Sixteen of this year’s 32 WIAA Scholar Athlete finalists have a grade point average of 4.0 to date, while the average GPA is 3.85. All 32 scholar athlete finalists earned a total of 308 letters (an average of nine letters per athlete) during their first 3 1/2 years of high school.

The 32 scholar athlete finalists were chosen from among 825 seniors nominated by more than 425 high schools in the state. Every year since 1984, each of the WIAA-member high schools has been invited to nominate one boy and one girl for the WIAA Scholar Athlete award. The average grade point of all Wisconsin student athletes nominated this year was 3.85 and 136 of the nominated student athletes had perfect 4.0 GPAs.

The 2014 WIAA Scholar Athlete recipients, as well as their families and school representatives, will be recognized at an awards ceremony Sunday, May 4, at the Jefferson Street Inn in Wausau. Each 2014 winner will receive a medallion and certificate, and will take with them a special plaque for display in their school’s trophy case.

A Webcast of the awards ceremony will be available at www.wiaawi.org during and after the ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 4.

All 825 students nominated for the award by their high school athletic directors will be presented with a medal at their school in a manner to be determined by the school administration recognizing them as their school’s top male or female scholar athlete.

This year’s list of scholar athlete finalists features these items of interest:

• Of the 425 high schools submitting nominations this year, three had WIAA Scholar Athlete
finalists for the first time in the 31-year history of the WIAA Scholar Athlete program.
• Algoma High School has its first WIAA Scholar Athlete, Kennedy Blahnik.
• The first WIAA Scholar Athlete from Sun Prairie High School is Michael Marchese.
• Nicholas Zander is the first WIAA Scholar Athlete from McDonell Central High School,
Chippewa Falls.
• Tyson Miehe from Darlington High School is the second member of his family to earn
statewide Scholar Athlete honors. His brother, Kent, was a WIAA Scholar Athlete in 2012.
• Albert Goerlitz from Owen-Withee High School is the second member of his family to earn
statewide Scholar Athlete honors. His sister, Aleyna, was a 2013 WIAA Scholar Athlete.
• Jon Averkamp from Germantown is the seventh WIAA Scholar Athlete from Germantown
High School.
• Grantsburg High School has its seventh WIAA Scholar Athlete, Jacob Ohnstad.
• Drummond High School has its seventh WIAA Scholar Athlete, Jake Fibert.
• La Crosse Central High School produced two WIAA Scholar Athletes in 2014—Brittany
Baldwin and Ben Thornton.
• Owen-Withee High School produced two WIAA Scholar Athletes in 2014—Albert Goerlitz
and Bailey Karaba.

Biographical Profiles of Recipients:  Boys  |  Girls  | Scholar Athlete Page 

DIVISION 1 – BOYS
Jon Averkamp, Germantown, Germantown High School
Michael Marchese, Sun Prairie, Sun Prairie High School*
Peter Rentzepis, Eau Claire, Eau Claire Memorial High School
Ben Thornton, Stoddard, La Crosse Central High School

DIVISION 1 – GIRLS
Brittany Baldwin, Stoddard, La Crosse Central High School
Elizabeth Flatley, Brookfield, Brookfield Central High School
Jessica Lindstrom, Superior, Superior High School
Marissa Matushak, Merrill, Wausau West High School

DIVISION 2 – BOYS
Jason Balts, Barron, Barron High School
Gaelin Elmore, Somerset, Somerset High School
Matt Ferris, Menasha, Xavier High School
Brett Harms, Whitewater, Whitewater High School

DIVISION 2 – GIRLS
Lexi Brost, Nekoosa, Nekoosa High School
McKenna Larsen, Oconto Falls, Oconto Falls High School
Andrea Thomas, New Lisbon, Mauston High School
Kelsey Thompson, Waupun, Waupun High School

DIVISION 3 – BOYS
Ben Fischer, Crivitz, Crivitz High School
Jackson Margis, Crivitz, Coleman High School
Jacob Ohnstad, Cushing, Grantsburg High School
Tyson Miehe, Darlington, Darlington High School

DIVISION 3 – GIRLS
Kennedy Blahnik, Algoma, Algoma High School*
Maddy Reed, Oshkosh, Lourdes Academy
Delaney Sinnen, Random Lake, Random Lake High School
Danielle Weber, Cuba City, Cuba City High School

DIVISION 4 – BOYS
Jake Fibert, Grand View, Drummond High School
Albert Goerlitz, Withee, Owen-Withee High School
Cullen Pedersen, New Lisbon, New Lisbon High School
Nicholas Zander, Chippewa Falls, McDonell Central High School*

DIVISION 4 – GIRLS
Bailey Karaba, Owen, Owen-Withee High School
Mary Sigler, Port Edwards, Assumption High School
Mackenzie Swiggum, Gays Mills, North Crawford High School
Jennifer Wellnitz, South Wayne, Black Hawk High School

* indicates that the student is that school’s first statewide winner.

The membership of the WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 505 senior high schools and 62 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It will sponsor 24 championship tournament series in 2013-14. For more information, visit the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org or contact the WIAA office at (715) 344-8580.