Meister and Lee selected as WIAC Scholar-Athletes

MADISON, Wis. – UW-Platteville's Johanna Meister and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Sadie Kroll have been named co-recipients of the 2018 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Award. UW-Platteville's Zach Lee and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Tom Schultz have been named co-recipients of the 2018 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Max Sparger Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Award.

Meister, a senior from Darlington, Wis., is majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in Spanish and sustains a 3.93 grade point average. She earned a spot on the 2017 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and was a member of UW-Platteville's USTFCCCA All-Academic squad during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons. She has been a member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll the last three years and recognized on UW-Platteville's Dean's List and Honor Roll many semesters.
 
A two-year team captain, she placed 10th at this year's WIAC championship after finishing 12th a season ago. In regional competition, Meister took 11th last year to earn All-Region recognition. She was named UW-Platteville's Female Athlete of the Year for the 2017-18 academic year and selected her team's Most Valuable Player and Most Improved following the 2017 campaign.
 
Meister is vice president of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, as well as a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and Society of Women Engineers. She has volunteered for Pioneer Your Future, National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Spring Cleaning at St. Augustine's University Parish and Highway Clean Up. Meister has worked for CenterPOINT, as well as a student assistant for the College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Judy Kruckman who served as Assistant Commissioner for the WIAC from 1996-98. Prior to this appointment, she was Commissioner of the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) from October 1984 - September 1996. Kruckman was the women's athletics director at UW-Eau Claire from 1974-84, and one of the original representatives to the WWIAC when it formed in 1971.

Lee, a senior from Franklin, Wis., is majoring in software engineering with a digital emphasis and sustains a 3.706 grade point average. He earned a spot on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team in 2015, 2016 and 2017, as well as being a member of UW-Platteville's USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition in 2016 and 2017. He is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been recognized on UW-Platteville's Dean's List and Honor Roll many semesters.
 
A team captain, he placed second at this year's WIAC championship after finishing fourth a year ago. In 2017, Lee placed 30th at the NCAA Division III championship to earn All-America honors and finished fourth at the regional championship to claim All-Region recognition.
 
Lee is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Societies. He has worked as a VR software developer for John Deere since 2016.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference for 22 years from 1971-93. He oversaw the transition of the conference from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger arrived at UW-Stout in 1959 and served the institution in a variety of capacities, including as an assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach and head football coach. He served as UW-Stout's athletics director from 1969-71.

Release provided by Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Office