32 high school athletes honored at 2023 WIAA Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - A total of 32 athletes from around the state of Wisconsin were honored Sunday, not just for their athletic achievements, but also their accomplishments in the classroom. The WiAA held its annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony in Wausau, recognizing high school seniors for their careers as student-athletes.

Athletes were presented with a plaque and a medal to recognize their great achievements throughout their careers. The keynote address came from an Emmy-winning sports reporter Anne Marie Anderson, who spoke to the importance of perseverance and a driven attitude. Wittenberg-Birnamwood senior Reese Rogowski was one of the recipients of the recognition. She said it was an honor to look back at her high school career, while pointing to the future as well.

“It was really sentimental honestly,” said Rogowski. “Just to look back on everything that I’ve accomplished and me and my teammates have accomplished all the years that I’ve been in high school.”

Scholar athletes were also surprised with $1,000 scholarships courtesy of the W-E Energy Foundation and Wisconsin Public Service Foundation. Colby senior Caden Healy said seeing all the other recipients made him realize just how great a group he’s a part of.

“Seeing everyone else’s accomplishments and how they do in school and athletics really puts into perspective that there’s a lot of cool people out there that accomplish a lot,” said Healy. “Well, I’m sure they’re all appreciative, but so am I.”

For Mosinee’s Davin Stoffel, he felt a similar connection, knowing there are a lot of people up on stage with him who have a similar passion.

“It’s awesome. It’s a huge honor,” said Stoffe. “It’s awesome to see all those people up there that are similar both academically and athletically. It was just a great experience today.”

Assumption senior Cristin Casey was similarly grateful for the experience. For her, it’s something she never could’ve dreamed of starting out high school.

“I didn’t know much about this accomplishment at the beginning of my career,” said Casey. “I wasn’t really going for this or anything, but it’s kind of awesome to be recognized, not only for your athletic career, but your academics also.”

The eight athletes recognized from north central Wisconsin were:

• Cristin Casey, Assumption High School
• Augustus Fink, Three Lakes High School
• Caden Healy, Colby High School
• Evan Johnson, Florence High School
• Reese Rogowski, Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School
• Davin Stoffel, Mosinee High School
• Jackson Ormond, Stratford High School
• Kallie Volk, Three Lakes High School

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