Kiel's Koppenhaver Receives Spirit of Sport Award
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Kenzie Koppenhaver of Kiel High School has been selected as the 2023 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.
On Dec. 24, 2021, Koppenhaver was driving to work with her older sister, Brenna. Approximately one mile from home, driving on a road engulfed in heavy fog, their vehicle was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The collision resulted in a traumatic brain injury for Kenzie, which left her unconscious and in a coma for two weeks following the accident. Jenna sustained injuries, including a broken pelvis and lacerated spleen.
In Kenzie’s recuperation process once out of the coma, medical personnel began asking questions to gauge her cognitive ability. They noticed when they spoke about sports and soccer, her positive expressions indicated how important her participation in the sport would be in the healing process.
With her participation in the 2022 soccer season in doubt, Koppenhaver focused her energies on getting healthy and playing with her teammates in the spring as a motivating factor, determined to return to school and play for the Raiders.
Following weeks of therapy in the hospital, she gradually began going back to school until she was able to attend on a full-time basis with her sights set on preparation for the first day of soccer practice in March. Prior to the first practice, she was cleared to participate in non-contact drills at practice. As the season began and progressed, she continued to recover and get stronger. On April 7, she returned to competition in the Raiders’ fourth game of the season to play her first game since the accident.
The Raiders, with Kenzie’s story the catalyst and inspiration, experienced its best season in school history with a 22-0-3 record and its first-ever berth in the State Girls Soccer Tournament in 2022. Koppenhaver played in 15 games after receiving All-Eastern Wisconsin/Packerland Conference first team honors as a defender in 2021.
During the summer and fall of 2022, Koppenhaver continued her soccer experience at the club level, experiencing success with her team at the national level.
In addition to Koppenhaver, finalists for Wisconsin’s nomination for the Spirit of Sport Award include Lucy Art of the University School of Milwaukee, Sam Coon of St. Mary’s Springs Academy, Trevor Le-Morrison of Greenfield High School and Carter Morrison of De Forest High School.
As the Wisconsin recipient, Koppenhaver will receive an award sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. She will be presented with the award and recognized at the 2023 WIAA Annual Meeting on April 26.
The NFHS Spirit of Sport Award was started in 2008. Including this year, 14 individuals and three teams have been chosen as national award recipients. Nominations for the award are generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members. A national winner will be recognized in June at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Seattle, Wash.
Lucy Art – University School of Milwaukee
Art is a four-time letterwinner in girls swimming and the 2022 WIAA State Division 2 champion in the 50-yard freestyle. She also set a school record in the event during the season. In addition, Art placed fifth in the 100 freestyle last fall and ninth in the 50 freestyle in 2021.
While on a family trip during Spring Break in March, 2022, Art was attacked by a blacktip shark while swimming with her brother off the coast of Vero Beach, Fla. After being bitten on the legs, she pulled her hand from the shark’s mouth and escaped to the shore, where the lifeguard and a doctor on vacation from Boston, Mass., tended to a significant wrist injury.
Pain and reduced flexibility in her wrist revealed severed tendons as well as vein and other tissue damage. She underwent surgery to repair the injuries. After six months of recuperation, including physical therapy sessions three days a week for four months.
Her hard work and effort paid off with her success at the State Championships in the fall. She has committed to attending Colgate University to continue her swimming career.
Sam Coon – St. Mary’s Springs Academy
Coon received all-conference honorable mention in basketball his sophomore season and participated in football when he was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare cancer that occurs in bones or around the soft tissue of the bones.
He underwent 10 sessions of radiation over the course of nine months and had surgery to remove three ribs and a solid tumor in his chest. During this period when he wasn’t being treated at Children’s Wisconsin Hospital, he continued to attend school as well as football and basketball practices despite the inability to practice and play except for a few games during the basketball season, which served as inspiration to the team and school community.
As inspirational as these most recent challenges have been, it isn’t the first time Coon has dealt with a life-threatening illness. In 2017, he was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a rare blood disease that attacks the body’s bone marrow. He underwent chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant before being isolated for several months, preventing him from attending school or participating in sports for a year.
He has faced his adversity with faith, determination and a positive attitude. He is currently cancer free and in great health. This past fall, he caught 20 passes, including two touchdowns for the Ledgers, who advanced to Level 4 in the playoffs. During the 2022-23 basketball season, he finished second on the team in scoring, averaging more the 13 points per game while leading the team in assists.
Trevor Le-Morrison – Greenfield High School
Le-Morrison was a junior standout and team captain on the boys soccer team, receiving All-Woodland Conference honors in 2021 before he was struck by a vehicle on May 21, 2022.
Attempting to elude friends chasing him in a water-gun battle, Le-Morrison ran onto the road and was struck by an SUV driven by an individual that immediately drove away from the scene. Le-Morrison was hospitalized in serious condition with a broken collarbone, fractured vertebrae, two broken femurs, internal bleeding and other injuries.
Le-Morrison spent 81 days in Children’s Wisconsin Hospital with multiple surgeries and therapy learning and regaining his strength to walk and kick again.
Despite not being able to play his senior soccer season in 2022 while recovering from his injuries, Le-Morrison attended practices and games to fulfill his duties as team captain. Following the campaign, he was presented with the Woodland Conference Perseverance Award for his hard work, leadership and dedication to his team.
Carter Morrison – De Forest High School
Carter is a multiple-sport athlete, participating in football, basketball and baseball during his high school career. He endured a woodshop-class accident at school resulting in partial amputation of four fingers on his left hand.
After making the varsity basketball team as a sophomore in November, 2021, Morrison suffered severe injuries to his hand working on jointer equipment. His opportunity to resume any sports in the future was in jeopardy, but less than three months later, thanks to his hard work and perseverance, he returned to the basketball court.
During the 2022 football season, he moved from wide receiver on offense to the safety position on defense. His four interceptions against Monona Grove, including one returned for a touchdown, broke the school’s single-game interception record.
Morrison finished the season tied for second in the state in interceptions with eight, three of which were returned for touchdowns. He was unanimously selected to the All-Badger Conference first team and received all-state honorable mention by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.
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 voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 517 senior high schools and 48 junior high/middle level schools in its membership.
# WIAA #
WISCONSIN LUTHERAN'S JORDAN GLENN RECEIVES SPIRIT OF SPORT AWARD
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Jordan Glenn of Wisconsin Lutheran High School has been selected as the 2022 Wisconsin recipient of the Spirit of Sport Award presented by the WIAA, the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and the National Federation of State High School Associations.
The Spirit of Sport Award was created by the NFHS and adopted by the WIAA 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.
Glenn, a senior guard on the Vikings’ boys basketball team, averaged 12.6 points. 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game for a team that posted a 25-3 record and tied for first place in the West Division of the Woodland Conference in 2021-22.
On Jan. 9, 2021, with 15:09 remaining in the first half during a road game at Menomonee Falls High School, Glenn was backpedaling in transition to defense when he began to feel lightheaded and then collapsed to the ground in cardiac arrest. Fortunately, game management, a police officer, an athletic trainer and five nurses, four of them were mothers of Wisconsin Lutheran and Menomonee Falls players, were in attendance to revive him.
Glenn's heart stopped twice during the episode, and each time he was brought back by the nurses attending to him and the AED that was available. By the time the paramedics arrived, Jordan was again breathing, and his heart beating on its own.
Glenn spent three days in recovery and undergoing testing at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. He was released from the hospital and returned to school. He sat the bench for his team's remaining games of the 2020-21 season. Glenn was outfitted with a heart monitor vest so doctors could monitor him on a continuous basis. After extensive evaluation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., doctors inserted a defibrillator to regulate and monitor his heart rhythms.
He spent the spring and summer of 2021 training to return to action with his teammates. On Nov. 30, 2021, he was back on the court for Wisconsin Lutheran's boys basketball team that included a recognition and celebration of his courage throughout the ordeal of a near-fatal experience.
Glenn participated in games throughout December. Then, in a game at West Allis Central on Jan. 4, 2022, Glenn lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor again minutes before halftime with complications caused by dehydration. He again received clearance and returned to the line-up and completed the season playing in 20 games.
The NFHS Spirit of Sport Award was started in 2008. Including this year, 13 individuals and three teams have been chosen as national award recipients.
Nominations for the award are generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members. A national winner will be recognized in June at the NFHS Summer Meeting in San Antonio, Tex.
As the Wisconsin recipient, Glenn will receive an award sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. He will be presented with the award and recognized at the 2022 WIAA Annual Meeting on April 27.
Finalists for Wisconsin’s nomination for the Spirit of Sport Award included Glenn, Vincent Bellock of Mauston High School, Cooper Perry of Sun Prairie High School and Nicholas Zitlow Mayville High School.
Vincent Bellock - Mauston H.S.
Bellock is a participant in soccer, wrestling and track & field, but his prep career took a different path following his sophomore soccer season when he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.
After chemotherapy and treatments, Bellock returned to school and slowly re-engaged in the day-to-day routines he experienced prior to his diagnosis. After his junior year, he was able to return to sports and was selected as the team captain in soccer his senior year.
His hard work and effort paid off as he scored 11 goals for a team that placed second in the conference standings with a 7-1-2 record. He was named to the All-South Central Conference first team. He compiled a 14-18 record during the 2021-22 wrestling season, competing primarily at the 152-point weight class for the Golden Eagles.
Cooper Perry - Sun Prairie H.S.
Perry was your typical three-sport athlete, participating in baseball, basketball and football until Jan. 29, 2019, when he was diagnosed with leukemia.
Unable to participate in sports, Perry underwent treatment with the determination to return to competitive activity. During a two-year span, he underwent many lab tests, infusions, spinal taps and hospital stays. Treatment also came with restrictions on activities and the onset of knee degeneration.
Working through the illness and treatment, he worked to regain strength and endurance. In March 2020, he earned a roster spot on the varsity baseball team, which is a perennial power in the state, but the season was canceled because of COVID-19. He made his first varsity start on his final day of treatment in May of 2021. He collected a hit in his first game back to the delight of his teammates and fans in the stands.
The Cardinals proceeded to capture the WIAA Division 1 championship in June 2021.
Nicholas Zitlow - Mayville H.S.
Zitlow, a member of the baseball and track & field teams, has endured being born with a heart defect that has been monitored throughout his entire life.
In late December 2020, Zitlow failed a stress test and other procedures indicated his condition had worsened and open-heart surgery would be required. On March 18, 2021, Zitlow underwent surgery to replace his aortic valve with his pulmonary valve and his pulmonary valve with a valve of a cadaver.
Complications in his recovery led to fluid and inflammation around the heart and a pneumothorax. After 12 days in the hospital, he was released and with medications and therapy returned to school three weeks later. He continues do to well and has resumed all activities.
By June of 2021, he was able to participate in his hobbies and returned to football practice in August, but could not play until six months following surgery. On Sept. 17, he made his return to the football field for the Cardinals. He finished the football season on special teams for a team that finished as State runner-up in Division 5 and will participate in baseball this spring.
The 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.
Organizational initiatives include generating national publicity, managing digital advertising, and driving sales, distribution and trial through retail and food service promotions. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin also supports in-school education about the benefits of dairy and funding for the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more information, visit wisconsindairy.org and follow on Facebook.
# WIAA #
ABBY TUMA OF SHAWANO NAMED 2021 SPIRIT OF SPORT RECIPIENT
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Abigail Tuma of Shawano Community High School has been selected as the 2021 Wisconsin and Section 4 recipient of the Spirit of Sport Award presented by the WIAA and the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, as well as the National Federation of State High School Associations.
The Spirit of Sport Award was created by the NFHS and adopted by the WIAA in Wisconsin and sponsored by 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.
Tuma, a senior on the Hawks’ volleyball team in 2020, played defensive specialist and setter for a team that compiled a 4-6 record with a schedule limited because of COVID-19 restrictions. They also participated in the WIAA Tournament Series in Division 1.
She was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, in the fall of her sophomore year. Tuma underwent a six-hour surgery and experienced a number of side effects, including severe nausea over the course of the following 18 months. Following surgery, she was hospitalized for several weeks before she began six straight weeks of radiation and almost a year of chemotherapy.
With constant treatments and daily visits to the hospital, Tuma lost all of her hair and struggled to maintain weight, and she was placed on a feeding tube until the spring of 2020.
Throughout her experience, she maintained a positive attitude and didn’t complain about her fight against cancer. She attended all practices and games – if her treatment schedule allowed – and maintained her academics to be named to the honor roll. She was also honored as the recipient of the Shawano Pride Award.
Tuma completed her cancer treatments last fall, and her MRI revealed she is cancer free. Having completed her varsity eligibility, she is currently playing co-ed club volleyball. She is also a member of the student council and the Future Business Leaders of America. In addition, she volunteers to supervise children during recess at Hillcrest Primary School in Shawano.
The 2021 national recipient of the award presented by the NFHS is Hayden Holton, a former student-athlete at Elmore County High School in Eclectic, Ala. He graduated from Elmore County in 2020 as an accomplished student-athlete, earning academic and athletic honors for his four-year career in four sports.
In September 2016, during the first semester of Holton’s freshman year, his parents were killed in a double shooting in his home. In addition to becoming an orphan, his older brother was charged with the murders, which were later dismissed.
Holton returned to the football field as a junior and earned all-county and all-region honors as a tight end. In addition, his football and basketball teammates voted him team captain and was named most improved player on the baseball team, and he also participated in soccer.
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was started in 2008. Including this year, 12 individuals and three teams have been chosen as national award recipients.
Nominations for the award are generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members. While the national winner will be recognized June 29 at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Orlando, Fla., the section winners are recognized within their respective states and will receive awards before the end of the current school year.
As the Wisconsin recipient, Tuma will receive an award sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. She will be presented with the award and recognized at the 2021 WIAA Annual Meeting on May 26. If the Annual Meeting is not conducted because of COVID-19 restrictions, Tuma will be recognized with a virtual presentation that will be posted on the WIAA website.
Finalists for Wisconsin’s nomination for the Spirit of Sport Award included Tuma, Jasmine Bertschy of Valders High School, Michael Krouser of Milwaukee Juneau High School (MacDowell Montessori) and Ben White of Middleton High School.
Jasmine Bertschy – Valders H.S.
Bertschy is a four-year participant in cross country and a two-year member of the track & field team who has survived a life-threatening medical condition that has left her legally blind.
In the fall of her sophomore year, she made two trips to the hospital with stomach pain, and on Nov. 5, 2018, she collapsed at home and went into cardiac arrest en route to the hospital. She was intubated to supply life-sustaining oxygen. Doctors discovered a perforation in her stomach, which led to serious complications, including an infection and septic shock. Bertschy spent 12 weeks in the hospital.
The brain damage from the lack of oxygen and infection caused a significant loss of vision. She endured 13 surgeries, multiple blood transfusions and a feeding tube during her recovery.
She returned to practice and competition in the fall of 2019 with assistance of a tether to a WIAA-approved guide runner, who ran alongside her in practices and meets.
Michael Krouser – Milwaukee Juneau H.S. (MacDowell Montessori)
Krouser is a member of the cross country and basketball teams who has endured an anguishing and tragic incident, continuing to participate in interscholastic athletics and engage with the school community.
Krouser’s sister died in December, 2017, after suffering a brain injury and infection following an alleged beating by her mother, who was charged with child neglect resulting in death. He lived with his sister and one other sibling in a home with no heat or running water and scattered with filth, according to news reports.
He has spent the last three years moving to several group home placements. During his senior year, Krouser has lived on his own and continues to engage and participate in school athletics and activities, including serving on the school council.
Ben White – Middleton H.S.
White is the assistant athletic director and activities coordinator at Middleton High School after a 19-year stint as the boys volleyball coach. He was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in September, 2019.
White endured a year-long treatment for cancer, which is now in remission. According to Middleton Athletic Director Jamie Sims, not only has White conquered cancer, he has done it in a way that inspires all who comes in contact with him through his “resiliency and dedication to excellence for all students and staff.”
One month prior to his diagnosis, White’s friend and former Middleton Athletic Director Bob Joers was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The two battled the disease together and was an important part of each’s support system. Sadly, Joers lost his battle with cancer in May, 2020.
White led the Cardinals’ boys volleyball team to over 400 victories, 13 Big Eight Conference titles and 11 WIAA State Tournament appearances. He was named conference coach of the year six times, state coach of the year twice and NFHS regional coach of the year once.
The 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. Organizational initiatives include generating national publicity, managing digital advertising, and driving sales, distribution and trial through retail and foodservice promotions. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin also supports in-school education about the benefits of dairy and funding for the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more information, visit wisconsindairy.org and follow on Facebook.
# WIAA #
ADAM SZEPIENIEC OF DEFOREST NAMED 2020 RECIPIENT OF THE SPIRIT OF SPORT AWARD
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Adam Szepieniec of DeForest High School has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Spirit of Sport Award and Wisconsin’s nominee for the National Federation of State High School Associations’ award.
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The individual or group nominated for the award exemplifies the ideals and spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics and is sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
At age 11, Szepieniec was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. After four months of chemotherapy and 10 days in the hospital, he endured two weeks of full-body radiation treatments. Then in 2014, he received a bone marrow transplant and missed an entire semester of his seventh grade year with a weakened immune system.
Triumphantly, Szepieniec has been without cancer since 2015 and does not require any medication or further treatment for the disease.
He completed his high school career on the Norskies’ football team last fall. He participated and lettered all four years and was a starting defensive back and kick returner on the 2019 Division 3 championship team. In addition to his eight tackles in the title game, his interception in the final moments of the championship game preserved an 8-7 victory. He earned All-Badger North Conference second-team honors last fall.
Szepieniec is also a three-time letterwinner in track, and was preparing for his senior season when the spring seasons were postponed because of concerns for spread of the COVID-19 disease. He was a significant contributor on the 2019 team that captured the conference championship, competing in the long jump, 100- and 200-meter dashes, and the 400- and 800-meter relay teams.
He has also maintained his academic success and has been active in other school and community activities. Szepieniec plays the guitar for the school’s Showband Choir, and he donates his time reading in elementary schools and visiting children in local hospitals. He has compiled a 3.6 grade point average and plans to attend UW-Milwaukee to pursue a degree in engineering.
As the Wisconsin nominee, Szepieniec will receive an award sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, and he would have been recognized at the 2020 WIAA Annual Meeting in April if concerns and efforts to prevent spread of COVID-19 did not require the meeting to be canceled. He will be recognized later this week during a recorded virtual presentation that will be posted on the WIAA website.
His nomination was advanced to the NFHS Spirit of Sport Committee for sectional and national recognition.
Noah Lambrecht, a former student-athlete at McCool Junction High School in Nebraska, was selected the 2020 national recipient. He was born with a life-threatening heart defect and endured three open-heart surgeries in the first seven weeks of his life. He was then orphaned and left at a Chicago hospital before being adopted by his parents. He required a fourth open-heart surgery and a pacemaker was implanted at the age of eight.
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was started in 2008 by the NFHS to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals and spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics. Including this year, 13 individuals and three teams have been chosen as national award recipients.
Nominations for this award were generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members. While the national winner is typically recognized at the NFHS Summer Meeting, the section and state winners are recognized within their respective states and will receive awards before the end of the current school year.
In addition to Szepieniec, finalists for Wisconsin’s nomination for the Spirit of Sport Award included Lizzie Kovacevich of Hartford Union High School and Joe Taloff of Muskego High School.
Lizzie Kovacevich
To suggest Lizzie Kovacevich had a challenging year extending from July, 2018 through June, 2019, would be an understatement of epic proportions.
Kovacevich, who had recently completed her collegiate eligibility at Concordia University of Wisconsin, planned to join the Hartford High School girls tennis team coaching staff in the fall of 2018. Those plans and her life were suddenly in jeopardy following a head-on collision with a car driving the opposite direction that crossed through a freeway median strip.
The crash resulted in multiple injuries to each of her extremities. She broke the radius and ulna in both arms, and suffered a broken femur on her left leg. Her right leg also sustained numerous injuries, including a fractured patella and severed patellar tendon, as well as a dislocated ankle, a broken tibia and a broken fibula.
She spent two weeks in the hospital, which included three surgeries that spanned 18 hours in operating rooms. After returning home, she began occupational and physical therapy for up to four days a week. Determined to move forward with her goals, she began the final year of her master’s degree at CUW in a wheelchair, and on August 31, she took her first steps since the collision.
Despite eight surgeries since the crash, her healthy outlook led to her return to training clinicals at CUW and Hartford H.S. In May, 2019, Kovacevich received her master’s degree in athletic training. Following graduation, she landed positions as the Hartford H.S. assistant girls tennis coach and the Orioles’ athletic trainer for Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin, as well as an Emergency Medical Technician for the Hartford Fire & Rescue department.
The Spirit of Sport Award program in Wisconsin is in its third year. Previous recipients of the award include Bryce Ladwig of Plymouth in 2018 and Ashley Stich of Kenosha Tremper High School in 2019.
Joe Taloff
Taloff has supported high school sports at Muskego High School since his days as a student dating back to 2006. His learning disabilities and social struggles did not deter his hard work, commitment or support of the school’s athletic community.
Enamored with football, Taloff attended all practices, organized equipment, assisted the athletic training staff and cheered on the Warriors on Friday nights. In addition, he led the team in victory cheers after every win.
He continued his role as team manager of the football program for several years following his graduation before also becoming manager of the girls basketball team. Two years later, he began serving as the boys basketball team manager. Taloff assisted with game situations in practice, researching statistics and created his own scouting reports for opponents of the boys and girls basketball teams.
His support for the program led to additional responsibilities, including managing the concession stands, reporting results to the local media, transmitting halftime and post-game events live on Facebook, and serving as president of the booster club.
About Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin: Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin 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. Organizational initiatives include generating national publicity, managing digital advertising, and driving sales, distribution and trial through retail and foodservice promotions. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin also supports in-school education about the benefits of dairy and funding for the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more information, visit wisconsindairy.org and follow on Facebook.
ASHLEY STICH RECIPIENT OF 2019 SPIRIT OF SPORT AWARD
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Ashley Stich of Kenosha Tremper High School has been selected as the 2019 Wisconsin nominee for the National High School Spirit of Sport Award presented by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Stich completed her high school career on the girls’ golf team last fall. She participated and lettered all four years on the team and qualified for sectionals her freshman, junior and senior seasons. Her nine-hole average was 50 in 2017 and 51 as the team’s #2 player in 2018 following multiple surgeries.
After suffering a series of strokes, Stich was diagnosed with Moyamoya, a rare and progressive vascular disorder that reduces the flow of blood to the brain caused by blockage or the narrowing of the carotid artery. The strokes impaired her ability to talk, count and read. In January, 2018, she underwent brain surgery to increase the blood flow to her brain.
Following eight weeks of recovery following surgery, she returned to school in March with a modified schedule and participated in limited track and field practice. Stich’s health improved enough during the summer to work on improving her golf game, and she missed just one competition last season due to illness.
Stich has also maintained her academic success and has been active in other school and community efforts. She is a member of the National Honor Society and was named to the Wisconsin Golf Coaches Association Academic All-State team the past three years. She volunteers as the school mascot, and she is a member of the Renaissance Club, as well as the Archery Club. In addition, she devotes time as a volunteer at a local nursing home.
Stich was recognized and honored for her ability to thrive and persevere despite health obstacles by Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, who declared July 1, 2018, “Ashley Stich Day.”
As the Wisconsin nominee, she will be recognized at the 2019 WIAA Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 17, at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Stevens Point.
Her nomination was advanced to the NFHS Spirit of Sport Committee for regional and national consideration. Searra Inman of Niles Brandywine High School in Michigan, a wrestler and soccer player that suffered a severed spinal cord as result of a motorcycle accident, was selected as the regional recipient. Amanda Merrell of Huntingtown High School in Maryland, who lost a leg in her battle with cancer and excels in basketball, received the national Spirit of Sport Award.
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was started in 2008. Including this year, 12 individuals and three teams have been chosen national award recipients.
Nominations for this award were generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members. While the national winner will be recognized June 29 at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., the section winners are recognized within their respective states and will receive awards before the end of the current school year.
In addition to Stich, finalists for Wisconsin’s nomination for the Spirit of Sport Award included Kalena Clauer of Arrowhead High School, Michael Del Conte of Wausau West High School, Ava Schaefer of Hartford Union High School, David Skogman of Waukesha West High School, and the Athens High School baseball team.
Kalena Clauer
Clauer has persevered through numerous health challenges, including a congenital lung defect and thyroid cancer, to compete for four years in cross country and track & field prior to graduation last spring.
During her sophomore year, she had half of her left lung removed. Following the surgery she spent three weeks overcoming kidney, pancreas and liver failure. However, she continued to compete through all her health issues.
Clauer was involved in a minor car accident her senior year that prompted a precautionary CT scan which revealed she had thyroid cancer. After surgery and radiation treatments, she returned to participate in the track and field season and receive a team letter.
She has inspired the raising of $5,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to benefit child and teen cancer research and awareness. She is a freshman at UW-Stevens Point and is a member of the cross country and track & field teams.
Michael Del Conte
Del Conte battled back from an accident in January, 2017, to return to the Warriors’ boys soccer team in 2018. He was partially paralyzed from the neck down with damage to three vertebrae following the accident, but through rigorous rehabilitation and therapy, he returned to participate and compete.
A 4.0 student, Del Conte is also involved in Wausau West’s vocal music department.
With hard work during a 20-week recovery, Del Conte regained his ability to walk and return to the field. He also served on the Homecoming Court last fall and participated in the ceremony.
Ava Schaefer
Shaefer and her older sister, Alaina, suffer from Primary Hyperoxaluria, Type 1 (PH1), a rare liver disorder. The condition causes a buildup of excess oxalate that produces kidney stones requiring occasional medical attention.
A diagnosis in April, 2017, revealed Schaefer’s kidneys were failing and dialysis was required six times a week. Just prior to Labor Day, she received organ transplants and was discharged a week later. After a month of grueling recovery, she returned home and was able to return to school on a part-time basis later in the fall. She attended school on a full-time basis in January, 2018, and was named Prom Queen in the spring.
She returned to the Orioles’ girls tennis program last fall and advanced with her doubles partner to the State Individual Tournament.
David Skogman
Skogman collapsed while playing in a non-school summer basketball tournament last summer. He was resuscitated with an AED, and after months of testing, had a defibrillator implanted into his chest as a precaution.
His success and abilities on the court has garnered Division 1 college scholarship offers, and he was named to the Associated Press All-State Second Team in 2019.
His leadership and attitude has been witnessed since the traumatic event. Last fall, he spoke to hundreds of freshmen students and families at Waukesha West’s orientation, and sharing his experiences to participants in the Junior Wolverine Youth Basketball Program.
Athens Baseball Team
During the 2018 WIAA Tournament Series, a member of the Bluejays baseball team, Tucker Westfall, died in an UTV accident. He was the son of an assistant coach and a cousin of team members.
Another player and the team manager were also injured in the accident, which occurred after Athens had won the regional championship and preparing for sectionals. Inspired by the memory of Westfall, the team went on to capture the Division 4 State championship.
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BRYCE LADWIG NAMED RECIPIENT OF THE 2018 SPIRIT OF SPORT RECIPIENT
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Bryce Ladwig of Plymouth High School has been selected as the 2018 Section 4 recipient of the National High School Spirit of Sport Award presented by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Ladwig, a senior on the Panthers’ football team in 2017, started at nose tackle for a team that compiled a 7-4 record and advanced to Level 2 of the WIAA playoffs in Division 3.
He was diagnosed with bone cancer when he was 6-years old and has undergone multiple treatments and surgeries. Following the treatments and surgeries, his leg failed to heal correctly, and additional operations were required. Ladwig had 23 screws inserted into his leg along with a rod and cadaver bone when he was 10-years old. Within that same year, doctors identified a spot on his lung that resulted in still more medical attention with treatment, therapy and ongoing doctor visits.
Prior to the start of his freshman season in high school in 2014, Ladwig learned he suffered from a rare adolescent disease that was causing the bone in his leg to curve. To correct the condition, surgeons broke his leg in two places, which resulted in months confined to a wheelchair and therapy that sidelined him for his freshman and sophomore football seasons.
Ladwig played football his junior season despite a noticeable limp, but he participated in all the conditioning and drills in practice. He won the starting nose tackle position during pre-season practices his senior season and played in all 11 games.
The obstacles he has faced throughout his childhood has not deterred him from making a difference off the football field. He has served as a volunteer for Project Angel Hugs, an organization that helps those who are less fortunate than others. Ladwig donated the $4000 proceeds from the sale of his steer to the Project in honor of its founder, who died in an accident.
Ladwig is also active in Future Farmers of America and is a youth representative on the Livestock Committee for Sheboygan County. In addition, he has participated on livestock and meat judging teams, and served meals for the Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee. He finished runner-up in the Sheboygan County High School Trap Shoot competition and finished in the top-15 at the State Trap Shoot in 2016.
Marissa Walker of Waterford High School in Connecticut was selected the national recipient of theSpirit of Sport Award. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma when she was 9-years old and had a massive tumor on her left knee that needed to be removed.
She underwent 10 weeks of chemotherapy followed by “limb salvage” where doctors removed 70 percent of her femur. She endured numerous hospital stays and an additional 18 weeks of chemotherapy. The expandable prosthetic joint and femur that was designed and placed in Walker’s leg had to be adjusted every two to three months as she grew – a total of 23 times. Despite three more surgeries during her high school career, Walker has continued her determination to return to her softball team.
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was started in 2008. Including this year, 11 individuals and three teams have been chosen national award recipients.
Nominations for this award were generated through NFHS member state associations and reviewed by the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee composed of state association staff members. While the national winner will be recognized June 29 at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, the section winners are recognized within their respective states and will receive awards before the end of the current school year.
Finalists for Wisconsin’s nomination for the Spirit of Sport Award included Ludwig, Tyler Carroll of Lakeland Union High School, Michael Saxby of Waunakee High School, Jacob Strande of Muskego High School, Katie Walter of Stoughton High School and Erin Connors of Oshkosh West High School.
Tyler Carroll
Carroll suffered third-degree burns covering 40 percent of his body, and eight months later, he returned to the football field for the Thunderbirds and played a multi-dimensional role, including quarterback. He received All-Great Northern Conference first team honors and all-state honorable mention recognition after setting the school’s record for all-purpose yards.
Carroll was hospitalized for 28 days in an intensive care burn unit following a bonfire accident on Dec. 4, 2016. He underwent five hours of surgery to graft 90 percent of one leg and 70 percent of the other. He endured months of recovery and rehabilitation with the changing of bandages twice daily for more than two months and therapy for one-to-two hours a day, four days a week.
With the help of at-home tutors, he maintained his coursework throughout his rehabilitation. After missing the entire hockey season in the winter, he returned to school on a limited basis after in the spring and participated in track and field.
Michael Saxby
Saxby was a two-sport athlete, participating in football in the fall and basketball in the winter. On Dec. 27, 2016, he collapsed from a sudden cardiac arrest while playing in a holiday basketball tournament.
The quick response of those in attendance saved Saxby by administering CPR and an AED. His collapse was attributed to Hypotrophic Cardiomyopathy, a condition that thickens the wall of the heart. He had a pacemaker implanted and spent 10 days in the hospital.
Since the incident, Saxby has served as an advocate for the placement of AEDs in schools. At the 2017 WIAA Annual Meeting, he addressed the membership on the importance of adding AEDs and AED training for coaches. He also appeared on a FS Wisconsin broadcast of a Milwaukee Brewers game to promote AED and CPR education.
Although no longer able to play basketball, Saxby was cleared by a cardiologist to participate as the placekicker for the Warriors’ football team, which captured the Division 2 championship last November.
Jacob Strande
Strande concluded his senior season participating on the Muskego boys volleyball team that participated in the State Tournament last November.
His ability to play volleyball, and more importantly his life, was in jeopardy after a golf cart accident during a Spring Break trip in April last year caused a severe head injury. He was airlifted to the hospital where he underwent surgery to relieve pressure and swelling on the brain.
Strande was placed in a medically induced coma for several weeks, and after several brain surgeries, he was brought out of the coma. He had severe weakness in his right arm and leg and suffered mental deficiencies as well. After months of mental and physical therapy, he gained strength and mental stamina.
Five months following the accident, Strande was cleared to begin practicing volleyball. He received all-conference honorable mention and helped his team advance to the State tournament.
Katie Walter
Walter was a member of the Vikings’ girls junior varsity volleyball team. While she hasn’t earned any athletic honors, she has overcome the challenges of high functioning autism to be nominated for the award.
In addition to her involvement in volleyball, Walter is a teacher’s assistant in the high school library, a member of the Key Club, a singer in the school’s acappella choir and a member of the band. She is also and excellent student with a 3.8 grade point average.
While a member of the freshman basketball team, Walter connected on five 3-point attempts in a game. During her senior volleyball season, she was given a standing ovation following her speech on Autism Awareness Night, which was also her 18th birthday.
Erin Connors
Connors is a Down Syndrome student-athlete that was a four-year participant on the girls’ swimming team, which earned her a letter her senior season.
She was honored by her teammates and coach last season by receiving the team’s Natalie Bolin Spirit Award, given annually to the member of the team that demonstrates the best team spirit. In her first year of swimming with the Wildcats, she was awarded the Team Leader Award, presented to the individual that demonstrates team spirit and drive.
In addition to her athletics involvement in swimming, Connors is the manager of the girls basketball team and is a member of the Kohl’s Cabinet, which meets monthly to share ideas with school administration. She is also active with Connected, a club that supports students with disabilities.
Connors has participated in Special Olympics swimming for nine years. She earned four medals at the National Special Olympic Games in New Jersey in 2014.
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