RELEASED:  Monday, May 5, 2008

UW-Oshkosh’s Michel and UW-Stevens Point’s Ver Duin Share Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete Award

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Scott Michel and UW-Stevens Point’s Nicholas Ver Duin have been named the 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Max Sparger Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Co-Scholar-Athletes.

Michel, a native of Waupaca, Wis., is majoring in English with a minor in history and carries a 3.58 grade point average.  He has appeared on his institution’s Dean’s List and the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll on numerous occasions.

A team captain this season, Michel earned All-America status in the 400-meter dash with a fifth-place finish at last year’s national championship.

He has served as senior editor of the Wisconsin Review and a volunteer at high school track and field meets.

A native of Howards Grove, Wis., Ver Duin is majoring in web and digital media development with a minor in business administration and maintains a 3.48 grade point average.  He is a three-time member of UW-Stevens Point’s Dean’s List and has received Highest Honors from his institution.

Ver Duin was a member of the first-place 4x100-meter relay team at this year’s WIAC championship.  He finished second in the 200-meter dash at the 2007 conference event and was a member of the runner-up 4x400-meter relay team during the 2005 championship.

Ver Duin is a two-time All-American, finishing eighth in the 4x100-meter relay a year ago and fourth in the 4x400-meter event in 2006.  He was named his team’s Most Valuable Performer in 2006 and the Outstanding Track Athlete in 2005.

Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were:  UW-Oshkosh’s Kevin Lofy (Sr., Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger), Kyle Nakatsuji (Sr., West Allis, Wis./Hale), Andrew Stendahl (Sr., Cottage Grove, Wis./East) and Danny Thompson (Sr., Kewaunee, Wis.), UW-River Falls’ Jason Phillippi (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./Tartan) and UW-Superior’s Lee Sims (Sr., Crookston, Minn.).

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger and sponsored by Hewlett-Packard.  Sparger served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference from July, 1971 - July, 1993.

In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.