Wisconsin’s Top Scholar Athletes To Be Recognized

Wisconsin’s Top Scholar Athletes To Be Recognized

Stevens Point, WI—Sixteen senior girls and 16 senior boys from Brule to Janesville have been selected as finalists to receive the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (WIAA) prestigious 2019 WIAA Statewide Scholar Athlete Award underwritten by Marshfield Children’s Hospital.  More than 1,000 Scholar Athlete finalists have been recognized since the program began in 1984.

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. “These extraordinary student athletes excel in both academics and athletics,” said Tom Shafranski, Assistant Director of the WIAA. “Seventeen of this year’s 32 WIAA Scholar Athlete finalists have a grade point average of 4.0 to date, while the average GPA is an amazing 3.95. All 32 scholar athlete finalists have already earned a total of 295 varsity letters during their first 3-1/2 years of high school. That’s an average of 9 letters per athlete, and we have not yet completed our spring sports season.”

This year 823 seniors were nominated for the 2019 WIAA Scholar Athlete Award by 417 high schools throughout the state.

The 2019 WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalists, as well as their families and school representatives, will be recognized at an awards ceremony Sunday, May 5 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wausau.  Each 2019 WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist will receive a medallion and certificate, and will take with them a special plaque for display in their school’s trophy case. Keynote speaker will be Lance Allan, main sports anchor at Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV and co-host of Packers Live.

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 5.

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.

2019 WIAA SCHOLAR ATHLETES Noteworthy achievements during first 3-1/2 years of high school All with GPAs of 3.5 or above

DIEDRICH, Kenadi; Athens, Athens High School—11 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and softball. All conference first team in basketball 3 years, softball 2 years and volleyball 1 year. Team MVP in basketball 4 years, volleyball 1 year and softball 1 year. #1 in class of 41.

GUDEN, Ty; Edgar, Edgar High School—10 varsity letters in football, wrestling, and track and field. Member of state champion football team.

All conference first team in football 2 years. Team MVP in football-defense 1 year. #1 in class of 49.

KOLLOCK, Noah; Bancroft, Almond-Bancroft High School—10 varsity letters in football, basketball, and track and field. All conference first team in basketball 3 years and football 2 years. Team MVP in basketball 3 years and footballoffense 1 year.

KRUEGER, Ryan; Marshfield, Marshfield High School—9 varsity letters in football, hockey and baseball. All conference first team in football 1 year. Team MVP in football-offense 2 years, hockey 2 years and baseball 1 year.

SCHOENHERR, Dylan; Stratford, Stratford High School—11 varsity letters in football, wrestling and baseball. Individual state champion in wrestling. Member of two-time state champion wrestling team. All conference  first team in football 3 years.

Team MVP in football-offense 2 years, football-defense 1 year and wrestling 1 year.

2019 Scholar Athlete Finalists

DIVISION 1 – BOYS Ryan Krueger, Marshfield, Marshfield High School Kevin Meicher, Middleton, Middleton High School Austin Thyes, Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan North High School Malik Tiedt, Burlington, Burlington High School

DIVISION 1 – GIRLS Chloe Buescher, Janesville, Milton High School Zoe Goodmanson, Pewaukee, Pewaukee High School Reagan Hoopes, Waunakee, Waunakee High School Kate Jochims, Muskego, Muskego High School

DIVISION 2 – BOYS Owen Jelinek, Lodi, Lodi High School Shane Liegel, Spring Green, River Valley High School Andrew Pahnke, McFarland, McFarland High School Gervase Thompson IV, Brule, Northwestern High School

DIVISION 2 – GIRLS Dana Feyen, Trempealeau, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School Madelyn Granica, Amery, Amery High School Emily Neff, Hayward, Hayward High School Cassie Schiltz, Luxemburg, Luxemburg-Casco High School

DIVISION 3 – BOYS Cade Christensen, Campbellsport, Saint Mary’s Springs High School Dylan Schoenherr, Stratford, Stratford High School Grayson Vandenbush, Belgium, Random Lake High School David Vannucchi, Onalaska, Luther High School*

DIVISION 3 – GIRLS Tori Gerber, Cameron, Cameron High School Lydia Murphy, Lancaster, Lancaster High School Alexis Rolph, Winneconne, Lourdes Academy Megan Scheidt, La Crosse, Aquinas High School

DIVISION 4 – BOYS Lucas Bukowski, Green Bay, Green Bay NEW Lutheran High School* Ty Guden, Edgar, Edgar High School Noah Kollock, Bancroft, Almond-Bancroft High School* Jared Payne, Eastman, Seneca High School

DIVISION 4 – GIRLS Kenadi Diedrich, Athens, Athens High School Kiana Fall, Clayton, Clayton High School Makaylee Kuhn, Hilbert, Hilbert High School Ashlie Lockington, Bangor, Bangor High School

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

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

• Of the more than 400 high schools submitting nominations this year, three schools had a WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist for the first time in the 36-year history of the WIAA Scholar Athlete program.
• Lucas Bukowski is the first WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist from Green Bay NEW Lutheran High School.
• Noah Kollock is the first WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist from Almond-Bancroft High School.
• David Vannucchi is the first WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist from Luther High School.
• Ty Guden is the tenth WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist from Edgar High School.
• Milton High School’s tenth WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist is Chloe Buescher.
• Ryan Krueger is the ninth WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist from Marshfield High School.
• Kenadi Diedrich is the eighth WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist from Athens High School.
• Clayton High School’s eighth WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist is Kiana Fall.
• Lydia Murphy is the eighth WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist from Lancaster High School.
• Stratford High School’s eighth WIAA Scholar Athlete Finalist is Dylan Schoenherr.