Posted 5/5/04

Kleimenhagen, Mulrooney are athletes of the year

Cross country and track all-Americans Ryan Kleimenhagen and Jackie Mulrooney earned the UW-Platteville Athlete of the Year Awards, presented at the athletic department's annual honors banquet Wednesday, May 5.

Also honored were volleyball and track and field competitor Tracey Kuehne as the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, track star Adam Christnovich as the Male Scholar-Athlete, and all-conference basketball player Angie Sisson as the school's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.

Football player Greg Siebers and track national champion Corey Stelljes earned the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Award, given to those who overcome adversity. Stelljes also earned the Pioneer Career Achievement Award, as did all-American teammate Nick Meis, record-setting quarterback Tom Stetzer, all-American wrestler Adam Anderson and three-time all-conference basketball player Tiff Flesch.

Awards of Thanks were given to Olin Skattum, a student who volunteers with the track and field teams, Andy McNeill, the UWP campus photographer, and Kathy Nechvatal of the UWP Registrar's Office who certifies eligibility. Also honored Wednesday was the womenıs basketball team as the Chamber of Commerce Director's Award for Community Service.

Kleimenhagen, a senior from Oak Creek, earned the UWP award for the third straight year. He is a three-time cross country and six-time track all-American. This year, he successfully defended both his Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III Midwest Regional cross country titles. He also won two national indoor track championships, winning the 1,500-meter run and anchoring the Distance Medley Relay team, which won in a national meet record.

Mulrooney also excelled in both sports. She became the first Pioneer female to earn NCAA III cross country all-American honors. She then earned similar honors in track and field during the indoor season and, like Kleimenhagen, will participate in the outdoor national championships later this month. She is in her first year at UW-Platteville and a Hartland Arrowhead High School graduate.

Christnovich, a senior from Neenah, has a 3.74 grade-point average and is president of Alpha Pi Mu, the industrial engineering honor society. He earned all-America honors in the 2004 indoor track nationals. Kuehne, from Seymour, earned all-conference volleyball honors and also competes in the jumps and sprints in track and field. She carries a 3.82 g.p.a. with an elementary education major.

The NCAA Woman of the Year salutes seniors who have excelled in athletics, academics, leadership and community service. Sisson is a two-time all-conference basketball player from Watertown. She broke the school career free-throw accuracy record and holds a 3.47 grade-point average while majoring in mechanical engineering.