UW-Platteville Hosts 2007-08 Athletic Honors Banquet

The UW-Platteville Athletic Department gave Tyler Sigl and Jessica Scott an engagement present Wednesday night: matching his and hers Athletes of the Year Awards.

The track and field stars, who became engaged during the school year, were presented their honors at the Pioneers' annual awards banquet in front of 350 people in Ullsvik Hall.

Sigl (Sr., Seymour) won the award for the third straight year. The 11-time NCAA III All-American won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Midwest Regional cross country titles for the third straight year then added the national championship as well. During the indoor track and field season, he anchored the Pioneers' national championship distance medley relay team and was second in the 5,000-meter run. During the outdoor season, he became the first Pioneer runner ever to win a Drake Relays title, capturing the 10,000-meter run.

Scott (Jr., Kiel) was third in the conference and sixth in the regional cross country championships then won the 800-meter run at the NCAA III national indoor championships. Both Sigl and Scott have qualified for the outdoor championships as well.

Fifteen-time NCAA III all-American and six-time national champion Marcia Taddy (Sr., Two Rivers) earned both the NCAA Woman of the Year Award and the Pat Doyle Scholar-Athlete Award. She carries a 3.62 grade-point average while majoring in biology and ornamental horticulture.

Cross country and track runner Tony Kilburg (Jr., Bellevue, Iowa/Marquette) earned the Male Scholar-Athlete Award. A part of the national championship distance medley relay team, Kilburg has a 3.89 grade-point average with majors in engineering physics and mathematics.

Career achievement awards went to cross country/track and field all-Americans Cam Klein (Monroe) and Kyle Stangel (Sheboygan/North), all-time career assist leader and volleyball all-American Kelly Laschinger (Verona) and the holder of almost every Pioneer career batting record Ross Bennett (Mequon/Homstead).

The Assistant Coach of the Year Award went to wrestling's Keith Albert, while basketball manager Mitch Farrey earned the Katie Vaassen Scholarship Award, and the UWP Physical Education Department earned the Award of Thanks.