RELEASED:  Monday, June 16, 2008

UW-Oshkosh’s Schettle Named Woman of the Year Nominee

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Sarah Schettle has been named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) nominee for the 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

All conference nominees will be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee that will select the top 10 winners in each division.  From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division.  Finally, the members of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Schettle, a senior from Oshkosh, Wis. (West), is a member of the swimming and diving and track and field teams.  She is majoring in chemistry and Spanish with an emphasis in biochemistry and boasts a 3.90 cumulative grade point average.

A two-time winner of the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award, Schettle was named to the 2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America At-Large Second Team.  She has received various academic scholarships, including the Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship, Kimberly Clark Bright Future Scholarship, the UW-Oshkosh Foundation Scholarship and John E. Kerrigan Scholarship.

In 2006, she was one of two nationwide recipients of the NCAA Division III Sportsmanship Award from the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct.

A four-time letterwinner in track and field, Schettle claimed indoor All-America honors in 2006 and 2007 as a member of the 1,600-meter relay team.  She was a participant on the Titan national championship teams in 2004 (indoor/outdoor), 2005 (indoor), 2006 (indoor/outdoor) and 2007 (outdoor).

Schettle secured 12 WIAC individual and relay medals (top-eight finish) during her four seasons on the swimming and diving squad.  She was named her team’s Most Improved Performer in 2004 and the team’s Most Valuable Performer in 2006.

She is involved in many campus activities and organizations, including: No Limits Support Association, Student Alumni Ambassadors (Vice-President), University Honors Program, Athletes in Action, Biology Club (President) and the Optimist Club.  Schettle has volunteered with the Winnebago County Republican Party and was a leader of College Republicans at UW-Oshkosh. In the community, she volunteers in blood drives and for Special Olympics.

Additional individuals from the WIAC nominated for this year’s NCAA Woman of the Year award included:  UW-Eau Claire’s Anna Talbot (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview), UW-Platteville’s Marcia Taddy (Sr., Two Rivers, Wis.), UW-River Falls’ Krista Hasselquist (Sr., Osceola, Wis.) and UW-Whitewater’s Ashley Pick (Sr., Monroe, Wis.).