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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --February 18, 2003
Contact: John Johnson or Randy Allen-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Feb. 18 -The Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Award program has selected its seven scholarship recipients for the 2002 spring sports season.

Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 14th year of sponsoring the award, will give a $1,000 college scholarship to each of the spring sport winners. Farm Bureau will present a total of 24 scholarships, one for each sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament.

Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball final game at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing on March 22. Commemorative medallions will be given to other finalists in recognition of their accomplishments.

The seven Scholar-Athlete Award honorees for the 2003 spring sports season are: Michael Morosi, Essexville Garber, baseball; Holly Sneller, Hamilton, girls golf; Elise Jury, Houghton Lake, girls soccer; Lucy Frye, Midland Dow, softball; Sean Jesse, Buchanan, boys tennis; Kyle Walsh, Ubly, boys track and field; and Julie Brusie, North Branch, girls track and field.

Overviews of the seven scholarship recipients of the spring Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay is also included:

Baseball -- Michael Morosi, Essexville Garber. Awarded three varsity letters in baseball and two in football…awarded academic all-district in 2001 and 2002, all-region in 2002 and all-state in 2002… named to all-district team as an outfielder in 2001…second team all-conference as an outfielder in 2001… most improved player in 2001…captain of football team in 2002…first team all-conference defensive back in 2002…honorable mention all-conference defensive back 2001…a two-year member of the National Honor Society and Student Council…a three-year participant in the student newspaper and Science Olympiad…volunteered as a elementary school tutor during senior year…volunteered four years as a youth football public address announcer…a four-year participant in the church choir and band…will attend Kalamazoo College, the University of Michigan or the University of Chicago with plans of studying economics or business.

Essay Quote - “Sportsmanship is the very glue that cements the institution of athletics, from the youth level all the way to professional athletics. Whenever there is a breakdown of the principles of sportsmanship, the game is tainted, corrupted, deviating from the true spirit of athletic competition. Sadly enough, the appalling incidents of enraged fans, pompous players, and irate coaches capture the spotlight, leaving black marks on athletics.”

Girls Golf -- Holly Sneller, Hamilton. Lettered four years in golf and two years in volleyball…a golf team captain…voted most valuable player of the golf team…an all-conference, all-county, and all-area selection in golf…individual qualifier for MHSAA Finals…served two years on Student Council as a class officer…was elected class Vice President as a senior…three-year Member of the National Honor Society… two-year member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes…participated in a student exchange program to England during the summer of 2002…a four-year member of the church praise team, the church youth group and Young Life…will attend Hope college or Grand Valley State University with plans of studying elementary education.

Essay Quote - “Everything you do is noticed by that one who admires you, and if you’re being a negative, unruly player then they begin to think that it’s okay. Is that really what we want our future athletes to believe is the way to play? We need to show them that it’s okay to lose, and when we win to be gracious to the losing team. Along with that, as athletes, we represent our school as we play many other schools.”

Girls Soccer -- Elise Jury, Houghton Lake. Awarded two varsity letters in soccer and volleyball…captain of the junior varsity volleyball team as a sophomore…captain of the junior varsity soccer team as a sophomore…was a school representative for the 2002 MHSAA Sportsmanship Summit… participated four years in the Rotary Interact organization…was elected class President all four years…two-year member of National Honor Society…a four-year member of the symphonic band and flag corp...2003 Houghton Lake Junior Miss winner…a one year participant in D.A.R.E Role Model…participated in the American Legion Girls’ State Delegate…participated in Hugh O’Brian Youth Ambassador program…sister Erin won the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award in 1999 in girls volleyball…will attend Michigan State University with plans to study elementary education.

Essay Quote - “The disappointment of a lopsided score was overridden by genuine enthusiasm at the honor of taking the field with not only one of the most talented teams in Michigan, but with athletes who modeled the best example of team sportsmanship ever encountered. Throughout the game, every single member of the opposing team expressed consideration for our skill and effort, and humility for their own. We had never played a team with so much ability, but what everyone who stepped onto the field wearing a green jersey will forever remember is the class, generosity and superb display of sportsmanship exhibited by our opponents.”

Softball -- Lucy Frye, Midland Dow. Earned three varsity letters in softball, two in tennis, and two in volleyball… captain of the softball, tennis and volleyball teams in 2002…awarded the rookie of the year for softball in 2001…received sportsmanship award for tennis in 2002…four-year member of the marching band, symphonic band and symphonic orchestra…four-year member of the Key Club, as well as secretary in 2002-03…a two-year member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America…member of National Honor Society…two-year participant in the Model UN…Prime Minister of the Math Club…Vice President of DECA 2002-2003…received a rating of 1 at the Michigan Solo and Ensemble competition for a clarinet solo…will attend the University of Michigan, Amherst, or Stanford, with plans to study neuroscience.

Essay Quote - “We worked together on homework, went out to movies or to the mall, and best of all, we knew we could talk to our coach about anything. My basketball team became my support, my strength, my family. Often, sportsmanship makes one think of relations between players on different teams but sportsmanship is also about how one bonds with her own teammates.”

Boys Tennis -- Sean Jesse, Buchanan. Awarded four varsity letters in tennis and soccer…first team all-conference tennis as a freshman and sophomore…Regional champion and No. 4 Singles Finalist in MHSAA Division 4 tournament as a sophomore…received Lakeland Conference tennis Sportsman Award…second team all-conference and all-district soccer as a sophomore…first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and honorable mention all-state soccer as a junior…first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and third team all-state soccer as a senior…four-year class officer and member of the Student Council…four-year participant of the band and one-year member of the pit band and pep band…volunteered two years to the construction of the Buchanan Recreation Soccer Fields…selected southwest Michigan Youth Volunteer of the Year in 2002...will attend Valparaiso University to study meteorology.

Essay Quote - “Sportsmanship is important in educational athletics because of what it teaches. An athlete can learn how to work with a team, how to work with authority (i.e. coaches and officials), how to become specialized in a specific competition or working environment, and most importantly to take pride in the team or business of which they are a part. All are important skills learned through athletic competition that can be applied throughout life.”

Boys Track & Field -- Kyle Walsh, Ubly. Received three varsity letters in track and field and golf, and one letter in cross country…all-state in track and field…all-state in cross country…all-state Scholar-Athlete…all-conference in golf…three-time Huron Daily Tribune Athlete of the week…school record holder in the 800-meter run…four-year member of Business Professionals of America Club…two- year member of the National Honor Society as the treasurer…school newspaper co-editor…three-year member of the concert band, marching band and pep band…three-year member of quiz bowl and served as team captain… participated in school play as a sophomore…four-year participant of the New Beginnings 4-H Club…four-year member of St. Ignatius youth group…participated four years in Exploring Medicine Program at Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals…will attend Michigan State University to study human medicine.

Essay Quote - “Long after an athlete has forgotten what it means to run a certain play in basketball, or to do quarters in track, they will remember what it means to be a good sport. Sportsmanship is truly something that follows athletes around forever in the real world, and helps them reach their full potential more than any athletic skill ever will.”

Girls Track & Field -- Julie Brusie, North Branch. Earned four varsity letters in track and field, three letters in volleyball, and two letters in basketball…placed eighth in the MHSAA Division 2 Track & Field Finals 2002 in the 300-meter low hurdles…academic all-state track and field…first team all-conference and all-region volleyball in 2001…track team captain three years…four-year member as well as President of the 4-H Finish Line Swine Club…a two-year member of the Student Council and National Honor Society…a one-year member of the Students for Life Club, prom committee and Student Council handbook revising committee…four-year volunteer with Coach for Youths…volunteered four years with the Eastern Michigan Cleanup and Restoration Program…a four-year project volunteer with the North Branch Red Cross Emergency Aid…will attend Michigan State University with plans to study engineering.

Essay Quote - “An athlete that loses a contest but can reach deep down inside of herself and still walk up to her rival and congratulate her is just as great of an athlete as the winner is. Their sportsmanship shows that they value integrity over pride. Good sportsmanship shows the respect that an athlete has for herself, her coach, her team, and most of all, the sport itself.”

Other spring finalists by sport for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Baseball -- Brian Joseph Burton, Garden City; Matthew Dillion, Reading; Andrew C. Hyde, Evart; James Alan Kleiber, Troy Athens; Kenneth Cody Luzynski, Potterville; Derek Bernhard Larson, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Girls Golf -- Kristen Polanski, Livonia Stevenson; Anne Marie Ziegler, Crystal Falls Forest Park. Girls Soccer -- Robyn Jensen, Okemos; Kelli Kazmier, Linden; Dayna Michelle Rinke, Utica Stevenson. Softball -- Nicole Dingman, Bellevue; Elizabeth Engle, Colon; Jamie Ferrel, Bloomfield Hills Lahser; Chelsea A. Gerding, Owosso; Candace Knight, Otsego; Colleen O'Brien, Canton. Boys Tennis -- Beau Anderson, Norway; Matthew William Christian, Birmingham Brother Rice; John Seyferth, Ann Arbor Pioneer. Boys Track & Field -- Ryan M. Davis, Cadillac; Torrey Henry, Detroit Western International; Michael Salciccioli, Birmingham Groves; Kurt Schimpke, Maple City Glen Lake; Kyle Smith, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern; Thomas Andrew Sunderland, Monroe St. Mary. Girls Track & Field -- Tina Michelle Camilleri, Grosse Ile; Lauren Fairbanks, Rogers City; Katie Forsyth, Bath; Jesslyn Galbreath, Potterville; Courtney Kersten, Yale; Lisa Winkle, Grand Rapids South Christian.

Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average, and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.

Fall honorees were: Candace Knight, Otsego, girls basketball; Jason Trzcinski, Midland, boys cross country; Lauren Nicole Laethem, Caro, girls cross country; David J. Loney, Garden City, football; Kirk Ryan Pentecost, East Lansing, boys golf; Benjamin Anderson, Waterford Kettering, boys soccer; Erin Thompson, Trenton, girls swimming and diving; and Emily Everingham, Grosse Ile, girls tennis.

Winter scholarship recipients were: Brian Burton, Garden City, boys basketball; Kristen Dazy, Trenton, girls competitive cheer; Amy Schmidt, Grand Ledge, girls gymnastics; Andrew Eggert, Detroit Catholic Central, ice hockey; Chad Wozniak, Okemos, boys skiing; Andrea Boes, Okemos, girls skiing; Matthew Storey, Okemos, boys swimming and diving; Allison Rogers, Mason, girls volleyball; and Jonathan Lindsey, Bronson, wrestling.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,300 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.