RELEASED:  Wednesday, November 12, 2008

UW-Eau Claire’s Rivard Named Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete

MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Allie Rivard has been named the 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete.

Rivard, a senior from Plymouth, Minn. (Wayzata), maintains a 3.63 grade point average and is majoring in biology with a minor in sociology.  She was named to the 2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Five College Division Women’s Soccer Second Team.  In 2007, Rivard claimed Scholar All-America Team honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.  She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has received Academic Distinction from her institution on numerous occasions.

A three-year team captain, she is a three-time All-WIAC first team selection and helped the Blugolds secured conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007.  Rivard holds the WIAC single-season record with a 0.19 goals-against-average in 2006.

She has volunteered for a Reading Buddies program and worked as an operations team manager and supervisor.

Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were:  UW-Eau Claire’s Liz Kooistra (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.), UW-La Crosse’s Chelsea Gilbertson (Sr., Waunakee, Wis.), Michaela Kocon (Sr., Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong), Ramsey Weyenberg (Sr., Appleton, Wis./East) and Erin Wilson (Sr., Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln), UW-Oshkosh’s Amanda Matzke (Sr., Green Bay, Wis./Preble), UW-Stevens Point’s Meghan Musbach (Sr., Minocqua, Wis./Lakeland) and Meghan VandenHeuvel (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Central) and UW-Stout’s Jessica Halverson (Sr., Delano, Minn.).

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Judy Kruckman who served as Assistant Commissioner for the WIAC from 1996-98.  Prior to this appointment, she functioned as Commissioner of the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from October, 1984 - September, 1996.

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.