News

STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Sixteen senior girls and 16 senior boys have been selected as recipients of the prestigious WIAA Scholar Athlete Award underwritten by Marshfield Clinic.

The 2016 recipients, their families and school representatives will be recognized at an awards ceremony Sunday, May 1 at the Jefferson Street Inn in Wausau.  

Each WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist will receive a medallion, certificate, and a special plaque for display in their school’s trophy case. Keynote speaker will be former UW-Madison, UW-Green Bay and UW-Stevens Point men’s basketball coach, Dick Bennett.

LIVE Stream of ceremony Click Here 

To determine the top 32 finalists, four boys and four girls were selected–based on both athletic and academic achievement–from each of four WIAA divisions. To view information on all 32 recipients, visit the Scholar Athlete page on the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org/Schools/ScholarAthletes.aspx.

“These student athletes’ accomplishments are incredible,” said Tom Shafranski, assistant director of the WIAA. “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 3.90. 

“All 32 scholar athlete finalists have already earned a total of 296 letters during their first 3 1/2 years of high school” he said. “That’s an average of nine letters per athlete, and we have not yet completed our Spring sports season.”
 
More than 820 seniors were nominated for the 2016 WIAA Scholar Athlete Award by 420 high schools throughout the state. Since 1984 when the WIAA Scholar Athlete recognition began, every WIAA-member high school has been invited to nominate one boy and one girl for the WIAA Scholar Athlete award.

2016 Scholar Athlete Award Recipients    
                                               
DIVISION 1 – BOYS
Matthew Munns, Madison West
Mason Stokke, Menomonie
Matt Stoll, West Bend West
Noah Trimark, Kenosha Bradford*
 
DIVISION 1 – GIRLS
Alyssa Barnes, Neenah
Katie Hietpas, Sun Prairie
Madison Marko, Kenosha Bradford*
Aubrey Roberts, Eau Claire Memorial

DIVISION 2 – BOYS
John Maki, Mauston
Daniel Pederson, Spooner*
Austin Powell, Sauk Prairie*
Lucas Scherr, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau*
 
DIVISION 2 – GIRLS
Alicia Monson, Amery
Brittany Rhyner, Dodgeville
Katrina Santos, East Troy
Bailey Schmidt, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau*
 
DIVISION 3 – BOYS
Blake Cwynar, Darlington
Garrett Groshek, Amherst
Kevin Koski, Chequamegon*
Brady Schoenecker, Cameron
 
DIVISION 3 – GIRLS
Shae Brey, Regis
Kaitlyn Kaiser, Cuba City
Ellie Lochner, Phillips
Briana Nelson, Brookwood
 
DIVISION 4 – BOYS
Ryan Asher, Elmwood*
Logan Carroll, Pepin
Tanner Hudziak, Wild Rose
Kellen Kravik, Bangor
 
DIVISION 4 – GIRLS
Gena Grundhoffer, Assumption
Alyssa Kavajecz, South Shore
Taylor Schneider, Turtle Lake*
Kelly Tramburg, Fall River
 
*indicates that the student is that school’s first statewide winner.
 
A live stream of the awards ceremony will be available on the wiaa.tv portal of the NFHS Network during and after the ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 1. The ceremony will also be aired on FS Wisconsin on a delayed basis Saturday, May 14th at approximately 9:30 p.m. following the Milwaukee Brewers game.
 
All student athletes 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.
  
The membership of the WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 511 senior high schools and 43 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It sponsors 24 championship tournament series in 2015-16.

# WIAA #

Release compiled by Kirk Howard, Kinziegreen Marketing Group