STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Reid Hansche of Westosha Central High School has been selected as the 2025 Wisconsin recipient of the Spirit of Sport Award presented by the WIAA, the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) and the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The Spirit of Sport Award program was created by the NFHS and adopted by the WIAA in 2018 in partnership with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics. These individuals embody the resilience and determination of Wisconsin dairy farmers, overcoming challenges with perseverance and a positive spirit.

On Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, Hansche, a senior on the Westosha Central cross country team, was struck by a vehicle while crossing near the busy intersection of Highways 50 and 75 near the high school. He and the Falcons’ cross country team were en route back from a county park where they were conducting workouts. 

The impact of the collision vaulted Hansche onto the front of the vehicle attempting to proceed through a green light of the approaching intersection, breaking the windshield and then hurling him into the middle of the nearby intersection. 

One of the team’s coaches was on the scene first to comfort him until emergency medical technicians arrived at the scene to provide medical services. Hansche was airlifted by the Flight for Life to Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee with severe injuries, including a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. According to the application for the award, he scored a four on the Glascow Coma Scale for his brain activity. That reading, statistically, gave him a one percent chance of survival.

Described as a fighter with great determination and dedication, Hansche began speaking within a couple of days. After one week of recovery, he was released from the hospital. Within weeks, Hansche was attending the cross country meets as a spectator supporting the team. He has received overwhelming support from the community with fundraisers to assist in his medical bills, including a five-kilometer event that Hansche walked less than two months after the accident. He walked through a tunnel created by the team and participants at the finish line, and he high-fived everyone as they finished. 

Since last fall, he has made tremendous strides in his recovery. Hansche has returned to school full-time as a student and has his sights on participating in a race during track season this spring. Because of his strength, determination and resilience, the cross country team used these traits as inspiration, which was reflected in the team’s performance. 

As the Wisconsin recipient of the Spirit of Sport Award, Hansche will receive an award sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. He will be presented with the award and recognized at the 2025 WIAA Annual Meeting on Friday, April 25 in Stevens Point. 

The other finalist for Wisconsin’s nomination for the Spirit of Sport Award is Chloe Lee of Lake Holcombe High School.  

Lee, a senior, has been a source of spirit at school since her freshman season, and she has excelled in the classroom and in the many activities she has engaged in for four years.

Excelling in volleyball, Lee entered her senior season as the school’s assists leader the past three seasons and an all-conference second team selection. In route to a conference volleyball game during Homecoming Week, the day before festivities including presenting her as Homecoming queen, Lee and her mother received an urgent call directing her to go to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital soon after the call, they were informed Lee was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. 

Lee reacted with a determined and positive attitude, and she began treatment that evening while she watched her game on a live stream. After two months of treatment, Lee returned to school and is participating in basketball as much as she is able. 

Even before her ordeal, Lee was recognized as a leader and a role model at school and in the community. She was nominated and selected to the first WIAA Student-Athlete Leadership Team this year. In addition to her volleyball exploits, she is also a three-year letterwinner heading into the winter season, receiving the team’s Leadership Award. Lee received the school’s Courage Award in 2023-24 and is a four-time school scholar athlete.

Her leadership is represented by her involvement in other education-based activities as well. Lee has served as president of the school’s National Honor Society, Student Council, 4-H and Future Farmers of America, and vice president of the Chieftains’ Student-Athlete Leadership Team.

The WIAA Spirit of Sport Award was implemented in 2018. The recipient of the award also serves as the WIAA’s nominee submitted to the NFHS for Section 4 and national Spirit of Sport Award consideration. The following is a list of previous recipients of the WIAA Spirit of Sport Award.

2018 - Bryce Ladwig, Plymouth
2019 - Ashley Stich, Kenosha Tremper
2020 - Adam Szepieniec, DeForest
2021 - Abigail Tuma, Shawano
2022 - Jordan Glenn, Wisconsin Lutheran
2023 - Kenzie Koppenhaver, Kiel
2024 - Michael Turner, Hartford

Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is a proud sponsor of the WIAA Spirit of Sport Award. The organization exists to be a tireless advocate, marketer, and promoter for Wisconsin dairy farmers and to drive demand for Wisconsin's dairy products. The organization represents Wisconsin farm families and works to increase the sale and consumption of Wisconsin milk and dairy products, as well as build trust in dairy farmers and the industry. 

For more information, visit wisconsindairy.org and follow on Facebook.

The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a private, voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 36 junior high/middle level schools in its membership.

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