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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-- February 27, 1998
Contact: John Johnson or Mike Clifford 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Feb. 20 -- The Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Award program has selected its seven recipients for the 1997 spring sports season.

Farm Bureau Insurance, in its ninth year of sponsoring the award, will give a $1,000 college scholarship to each of the spring sports winners. For the seventh year, Farm Bureau will present 24 scholarships, one in each sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a post-season tournament.

Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing on March 28. Commemorative plaques will be given to other finalists in recognition of their accomplishments.

The seven Scholar-Athlete Award honorees for the 1998 spring sports season are: Brandon Krieter, Madison Heights Lamphere, baseball; Stephanie Bezilla, Grandville, girls golf; Jessica Lee Berryman, Jenison, girls soccer; Anne E. Bihler, Detroit Country Day, softball; Ryan C. Steinman, Haslett, boys tennis; Tom Blostica, Fowlerville, boys track & field; Katherine A. Damm, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port, girls track & 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 -- Brandon Krieter, Madison Heights Lamphere. Baseball team MVP … captain of baseball and football teams … selected all-area and all-league in baseball and football … also lettered in football and basketball … class president as freshman, sophomore and junior … National Honor Society vice president the last two years … part of Students Against Drunk Driving throughout high school … participated in Boy's State as a junior … junior counselor and ambassador at HOBY seminar … has volunteered for more than 106 hours of community service … plans to attend either the University of Michigan or Princeton University to study computer engineering or sports medicine.

Essay Quote -- "Physical skills and abilities are only 10 percent of sportsmanship. The other 90 percent comes from within oneself. It brings yourself, your team, your coach, the spectators and your whole school to a higher level."

Girls Golf -- Stephanie Bezilla, Grandville. Placed fourth at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Finals as a junior … member of MHSAA Lower Peninsula Class A championship team in 1997 … garnered all-state honors as a junior … two-time all-league and all-area performer … participated in the President's Round Table to help organize school activities … on the Board of Control for Students Against Drunk Driving … performs in the Grandville Music Theater and Grandville High School Players … has volunteered more than 150 hours of service at a local hospital … active in church youth group and as a church lector … plans on studying engineering at the University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame or Northwestern University.

Essay Quote -- "Sportsmanship makes sports real. It teaches athletes lessons they can take beyond the court, field or diamond into life. Lessons such as respect for peers, honesty to self and pride in the sport being played will guide an athlete into becoming a successful adult."

Girls Soccer -- Jessica Lee Berryman, Jenison. An all-conference performer for three years in girls soccer … selected all-area twice and honorable mention all-state once … also participated in swimming and volleyball … active in student government as the Student Council treasurer as a junior and as a member for two years … represented school in Model United Nations three times … member of National Honor Society as a junior and senior … vice president of the National Thespian Society as a junior and senior … earned outstanding choral student and leadership awards … all-state and all-region honors choir participant … assisted in development of school Forensics team … volunteer coach and official in American Youth Soccer Organization … volunteers at Butterworth Hospital … has not decided on a college but would like to study pre-medicine.

Essay Quote -- "A valuable lesson I have learned is respect for the authority of the officials in a game. This lack of respect for authority, no matter what the reason, carries over into the classroom and with the administration. I am not sure people realize the harm being done when students are allowed, and even encouraged, by parents to question the authority of the referees. What then stops them from questioning the judgment of any authority figure in their lives?"

Softball -- Anne E. Bihler, Detroit Country Day. Four-year performer on varsity softball team … co-captain on softball and swimming teams … all-district and all-area in softball as a junior … placed sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke at 1996 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming and Diving Finals … member of the Disciplinary Review Board and Cum Laude Society the last two years … has been on the Summa Cum Laude Honor Roll three years … member of the Acolyte Corps throughout high school and Head Acolyte as a junior and senior … youth counselor at Birmingham/Bloomfield Art Association … will attend Yale University to study international business and law.

Essay Quote -- " In this age, society revolves around sport figures. Children respect and admire sports heroes who epitomize sportsmanship with their modesty and grace in the face of competition; they move others with their humble yet endearing spirits. The importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics lies in teaching children who practice sports the values necessary for becoming adults."

Boys Tennis -- Ryan C. Steinman, Haslett. All-area academic-athletic tennis team … also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore … Key Club president as a senior … Michigan Key Club lieutenant governor as a junior … named the country's most outstanding state lieutenant governor in Key Club … member of National Honor Society … sang in the concert choir … named Interlochen's most outstanding male vocalist in 1995 … member of Men's Ensemble … has provided nearly 50 hours of community service each year of high school … will attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall.

Essay Quote -- "Sportsmanship is important in order to uphold the objectives of high school athletics program. To allow everyone the opportunity to play sports in a non-threatening situation and to grow and develop their skills and talents. We are given the privilege to compete against each other in a healthy and supporting atmosphere, students should not violate that right by being unsportsmanlike."

Boys Track & Field -- Tom Blostica, Fowlerville. Three-year letterwinner in track and field … academic all-league in track and field, soccer and basketball … member of regional champion in the 400-meter relay … elected freshman class president … selected by faculty to attend Boy's State as a junior … board member for Students Against Drunk Driving and Drug Abuse Resistance Education … member of National Honor Society … active in St. Agnes Catholic Church as an usher and in the youth group … would like pursue a career in chiropractic medicine.

Essay Quote -- "All too often in athletics there is an extreme in emotion after a hard-fought win or loss. The victors may excessively celebrate making the opponent feel even worse, or there are occasions when the losers will be such poor sports that they refuse to shake hands or even yell inappropriate remarks at the winning person or team. Whatever the case, if a person can control his or her feelings it will bring nothing but good things and is a great indicator of maturity."

Girls Track & Field -- Katherine A. Damm, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port. Three-sport athlete … co-captain of basketball and track and field teams … MHSAA finalist in long jump as a sophomore and junior … active in Student Council as vice president … member of National Honor Society for three years, vice president as a senior … head of Science Club for two years … started a tutoring program for fellow students … participated in Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals Exploring Medicine Program which allowed her to shadow doctors of different practices … volunteered in the Adopt-A-Highway and Adopt-A-Park for the community … will study physiology/pre-medicine in the Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University.

Essay Quote -- "We have all seen their rude behavior, immature temper tantrums and arrogance splashed across television, magazine covers and newspapers. Some professional sports figures have made unsportsmanlike conduct not only a popular form of entertainment but also a profitable way of life. Real sports fans frown upon them, angry that the spotlight has been shifted from the game and its true athletes to the few who feel the need for more attention. This is why high school athletics are so exciting to watch.

Other spring finalists by sport for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Baseball -- Nick Anton, Spring Lake; Karl Freimuth, Grosse Pointe South; Aaron Mendenhall, Traverse City Central; Jesse Aaron Mortimore, Comstock; Ryan M. vonReichbauer, Saginaw Heritage; Kevin D. Witte, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian. Girls Golf -- Erin L. Szymanski, Dexter. Girls Soccer -- Carla Rondeau, Clawson; Kelli Selleke, Harper Woods Regina. Softball -- Jennifer Michelle Lohman, Okemos; Sarah Marks, Decatur; Julie Anne Matchett, Elk Rapids; Marissa Melchior, Harper Woods Regina; Lisa Schulte, Port Hope; Sara Jane Sosinski, Bronson. Boys Tennis -- R.J. Laukitis, Holland; Jason M. Mayol, Belleville; Jason Samuel Pratt, Traverse City St. Francis. Boys Track and Field -- Mark A. Bovair, Allen Park; Greg Londo, Gwinn; Benjamin L. Miller, St. Johns; Babak Orandi, Bloomfield Hills Andover; Nathan Schoen, Lowell; Anthony Tyll, Ubly. Girls Track and Field -- Alicia Britton, Olivet; Sara Kimberly Elfring, Novi; Catherine C. Guido, Dearborn; Kristine Jentoft, Marquette; Julia Ogg, Clare; Julie Wisner, Lowell.

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 sports scholarship recipients were: Megan Leigh Adams, Litchfield, girls basketball; Robert J. Sullivan, Ravenna, boys cross country; Kasey Lynn Culp, Mendon, girls cross country; Ronald D. Keller, Carson City-Crystal, football; Christopher E. "Topher" Goggin, Alma, boys golf; Patrick Tetreault, Jackson, boys soccer; Nicole Marie Mousseau, Saginaw Heritage, girls swimming & diving; and Alexzandra Nicole Shade, Farmington Hills Mercy, girls. Winter sports scholarship recipients were: Will A. Tegel, Elk Rapids, boys basketball; Stephanie Cleland, Madison Heights Bishop Foley, girls competitive cheer; Jennifer Carlson, Royal Oak Dondero, girls gymnastics; Korey Henson, Portage Northern, ice hockey; Christopher Knute Paulson, Rockford, boys skiing; Jennifer Edgar, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, girls skiing; Jonathan Trenkle, Riverview, boys swimming & diving; Rebecca Kolar, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port, girls volleyball; and Daniel J. Kauffman, Central Montcalm, wrestling.

Applications for the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award for high school students graduating during the 1998-99 academic year will be available in the fall from member school principals.