UMAC announces 2020 Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award finalists
ST. PAUL, Minn.--- Each spring, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) recognizes outstanding senior student-athletes who demonstrate a healthy balance by achieving excellence in academics, leadership, and service while participating in intercollegiate athletics, through the UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award.
This year, the UMAC has named nine female and nine male finalists who will be eligible to receive the UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award, the conference office announced Wednesday.
The UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award is presented to student-athletes who embody what it means to be an NCAA Division III student-athlete. Through this award, the UMAC recognizes the role athletics plays in developing leaders by rewarding athletes' excellence in the classroom as well as their service to the community.
The NCAA Division III student-athlete is unique among intercollegiate athletes because, at Division III institutions, student-athletes receive no financial aid for athletics participation. Such institutions emphasize the overall quality of the educational experience and the successful completion of the student's academic program; athletic participation is an important part of that educational experience. Division III provides opportunities for student-athletes to be a part of numerous campus activities in addition to athletics, and these finalists have maximized those opportunities.
Finalists are nominated by each institution and the winners are selected by the UMAC Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives. Winners of the Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award – which will be given to one male and one female – will be announced Wednesday, April 15. The two award winners will be honored by their respective institutions and presented with a personalized plaque.
2020 UMAC Female Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award Finalists
| Kenya Henderson |
Bethany Lutheran College |
Menomonie, Wis/Menomonie |
Soccer |
| Megan Jordan |
Northland College |
Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson |
Soccer |
| Brooke Lorentz |
University of Minnesota Morris |
Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice |
Soccer, Track and Field |
| Elizabeth Poskie |
College of St. Scholastica |
Cotton, Minn./South Ridge |
Cross Country, Track and Field |
| Eva Reinertsen |
University of Wisconsin-Superior |
Duluth, Minn./Denfeld |
Basketball |
| Talia Sherry |
University of Northwestern |
Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview |
Basketball, Lacrosse |
| Jade St. Germaine |
Martin Luther College |
Watertown, Wis./Luther Prep |
Basketball, Volleyball |
| Kassy Steinkamp |
Crown College |
Shoreview, Minn./Dalat International School |
Volleyball |
| MiKel Vacek |
North Central University |
Little Falls, Minn./Little Falls |
Soccer |
2020 UMAC Male Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award Finalists
| Jack Christianson |
College of St. Scholastica |
Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View |
Cross Country, Nordic Skiing |
| Trent Jerome |
University of Minnesota Morris |
Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster |
Basketball, Golf |
| Caleb Koelpin |
Martin Luther College |
Dallas, Texas/Luther Prep |
Soccer, Tennis |
| Riley Loukinen |
North Central University |
Little Falls, Minn./Little Falls |
Basketball, Soccer |
| Aaron Oberste |
Crown College |
Princeton, Texas/CHANT |
Football |
| Jonny Sehloff |
Bethany Lutheran College |
Mankato, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
Soccer |
| Kyle Wallace |
Northland College |
Willard, Mo./Willard |
Baseball |
| Eric Watson |
University of Wisconsin-Superior |
Thunder Bay, Ontario/Hammarskjold |
Soccer |
| Tanner Youngberg |
University of Northwestern |
Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas |
Basketball |