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Schmitt Receives
Prestigious Woody Hayes National Scholar Athlete Award
 After an illustrious career both in athletic
competition and in the classroom, UW-Stevens Point�s Tara Schmitt has been
selected the women�s NCAA Division III recipient of the Woody Hayes National
Scholar Athlete Award.
The honor is presented to one male and one female
athlete in each of the three NCAA divisions. In its 18th year, the award is
sponsored by the Ohio State University and Northwest Sertoma Club and will
be presented at a ceremony on Jan. 28 in Columbus, Ohio.
Schmitt is the first UW-Stevens Point recipient of
the award and continues a remarkable run of student-athlete success for the
school. UW-Stevens Point has had two winners of the NCAA Top VIII Award over
the past three years as well as 22 Academic All-Americans during the past
five years.
A Brookfield native and Waukesha Catholic Memorial
High School graduate, Schmitt carries a 3.85 grade point average in Physical
Education while earning nine varsity letters. She helped the women�s
basketball team to two final four appearances in her four seasons and played
on four NCAA tournament qualifying soccer teams. Schmitt also ran track for
one year and anchored the winning 4x100-meter relay squad in 2002. In
addition, Schmitt has been very active in community organizations and has
been president of the school�s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee the past
two years.
Schmitt compiled a combined 167-31-6 record during
her basketball and soccer career. She was the Wisconsin Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference Player of the Year and scholar athlete award winner this
past season in soccer while earning her fourth All-Conference selection.
Schmitt was also named to the all-final four team, while helping the
Pointers to the national championship in basketball in 2002.
In her role with the Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee, Schmitt helped organize events with regard to the WIAC Food
Drive, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Salvation Army bell ringing. She is also
a student director of the campus intramural program and is an assistant
coach with the Stevens Point Area Senior High girls� basketball team this
season.
The Division III male recipient of the award is
Paul Whiting, a football and baseball player at Amherst (Mass.). The
Division I selections are Tennessee football player Michael Munoz and
Virginia rower Jennifer Reck. The Division II honorees are Bentley (Mass.)
swimmer Brian Castagna and Wingate (N.C.) volleyball player Lindsay Hinson.
The six winners will also spend a day in Columbus
visiting local centers for speech and hearing, cancer and early childhood.
The Woody Hayes National
Scholar Athlete Award |
