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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --February 17, 2004
Contact: John Johnson, Andy Frushour or Randy Allen-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING , Mich. � Feb. 17 � The Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Award program has selected its seven scholarship recipients for the 2004 spring sports season.

Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 15th year of sponsoring the award, will give a $1,000 college scholarship to each of the seven spring sports winners. Farm Bureau will present a total of 27 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 27. Commemorative medallions will be given to other finalists in recognition of their accomplishments.

The Scholar-Athlete Award honorees for the 2004 spring sports season are: Adam Emmenecker, Saginaw Arthur Hill, baseball; Carrie Jensen, Gladstone, girls golf; Jessica Urban, Saginaw Nouvel, girls soccer; Jessica Ilene Rademacher, St. Johns, softball; Michael Goorhouse, Holland Christian, boys tennis; Zachary D. Labrecque, Battle Creek Harper Creek, boys track and field; and Nicole Bohnsack, Rockford, girls track and field.

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

Baseball � Adam Emmenecker, Saginaw Arthur Hill. Earned three varsity letters in baseball and basketball and one in football�named first team all-area in baseball two years� Most Improved Player on baseball team sophomore year�named to the academic all-region and academic All-State teams as a junior in baseball�captain of basketball team two years�member of National Honor Society junior and senior year�Sports Editor of newspaper two years�member of Math Club two years...counselor at Hartley Outdoor Education Center two years�coordinator of YMCA Basketball Camp two years�currently undecided on a choice of college�plans on studying business and economics.

Essay Quote � �Sportsmanship is defined in the attitude of the participant. It includes not only confidence in one's self, but a special confidence in one's team. Developing a trust and support network between all players and coaches alike encourages the winning spirit of sportsmanship.�

Girls Golf � Carrie Jensen, Gladstone. Lettered four years in golf, two years in basketball and one year in volleyball�named to the all-Upper Peninsula team in golf junior year�2003 Delta Tour Champion in golf�captain of basketball team senior year�MVP of basketball team junior year�named to the all-conference team in basketball senior year�received Chelsey Hewitt award for sportsmanship, leadership and athletic ability in volleyball�Vice President of class three years�President of class senior year�four-year member of Natural Helpers�member of National Honor Society two years�volunteer youth basketball and golf teacher�four-year altar server�currently undecided on a choice of college�plans to study business.

Essay Quote � �Personally, I feel sportsmanship is a life long lesson that will help identify not only the athlete you are but also the person you will become. In reality it doesn't matter whether you can hit the golf ball three hundred yards or shoot ninety percent from the free throw line. What really matters is how you present yourself and the attitude you have while doing it.�

Girls Soccer � Jessica Urban, Saginaw Nouvel. Lettered four times in soccer and swimming�captain of swim team in 2003�member of Student Council one year�School Council Representative senior year�three-year member of SADD... Vice President of SADD senior year�three-year member of National Honor Society�Treasurer of National Honor Society senior year�member of Nouvel Student Ambassadors two years�volunteer for Lions training camp and the Meijer Shop With a Hero program�volunteer boys youth soccer coach...competed on travel soccer team four years�member of Sharks Swim Team three years�will attend Ferris State University to study pharmaceutics.

Essay Quote � �The lessons you learn in sports carry over to other aspects of your life. Hard work and determination at practice carry over into homework. Focusing on your sports goals leads to focusing on your academic goals.�

Softball � Jessica Ilene Rademacher, St. Johns . Awarded four varsity letters in softball, three in basketball and two in volleyball�named to the academic All-State team junior year in softball...named Most Improved by softball team freshman year�two-year member of National Honor Society�.participated in marching and concert band�member of Goodwins Volunteer Club senior year�two-year participant in the Outdoor Leadership Training Program�member of S.A.D.D. and E.A.R.T.H�volunteered helping kids stay safe on Halloween for two years...will attend Columbia University, Central Michigan University or Michigan State University to major in secondary education and minor in journalism.

Essay Quote � �She said all that matters in the end is how people carry themselves, because those are the memories that last. In her mind, my lack of sportsmanship made the rest of the game seem irrelevant. From that day on I understood that how I acted through victory and defeat was more important than all of my great plays and statistics. From that day on I understood what it meant to be a winner.�

Boys Tennis � Michael Goorhouse, Holland Christian. Lettered four times in tennis and two times in soccer�MHSAA Lower Peninsula Finals champion at Number Four Singles sophomore year�member of MHSAA Lower Peninsula championship soccer team senior year�named to the all-area soccer team as a sophomore�member of Student Council two years�Treasurer of student body senior year�American Legion Boys State representative senior year�four-year member of debate, Michigan Mathematics Competition and Fellowship of Christian Athletes�President of the Youth Advisory Council of the Holland Zeeland Community Foundation...will attend University of Michigan, Syracuse University or Calvin College to pursue a double major in political science and mathematics with a minor in Spanish.

Essay Quote � �The real reason we compete is to have fun and fulfill our competitive drive. Each and every person can meet those goals while being good sports. If a player both begins and ends a game with the same love of the game, then I believe he/she has taken the first step towards good sportsmanship.�

Boys Track & Field � Zachary D. Labrecque, Battle Creek Harper Creek. Earned four varsity letters in track, three in football and two in wrestling�2003 MHSAA Division 2 Lower Peninsula champion in 200-meter dash�Division 2 record holder for 200-meter dash�named to the academic All-State team in track�second team all-conference in football three times�MHSAA Lower Peninsula Finals qualifier in wrestling�member of the Student Senate and Student Council junior year�participated in honors choir two years�member of National Honor Society three years�President of the Asset Committee sophomore and junior year�Junior Achievement Board Member for Southwest Michigan two years�will attend the University of Notre Dame to study pre-med.

Essay Quote � �Through many years of participation in educational athletics, I have learned the code of conduct among athletes. Webster calls it fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning and losing. I call it sportsmanship, and it is as much a part of me as it is a part of the sports through which I exhibit it.�

Girls Track & Field � Nicole Bohnsack, Rockford . Lettered four times in cross country and track�named to the all-conference, all-region and All-State teams three times in track�MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals champion in track in 2002 and 2003�named to the all-conference, all-region and All-State teams four times in cross country�school record holder in cross-country�four-year Student Council representative�President of freshman class�Treasurer of sophomore class�Executive (Mayoral) Student Council Treasurer senior year�member of National Honor Society junior and senior year�four-year member of the Youth Initiative Club�performed community service and charity event work through church youth group�will attend Penn State University to study biology.

Essay Quote � �An athlete who is able to swallow pride in winning as well as in losing is truly a champion. When defining sportsmanship, one would probably agree it is a way of demonstrating respect for others and humility for yourself. It is what makes someone a high class athlete as well as a high class human being.�

Other spring finalists by sport for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Baseball - Ryan Anderson, Grand Rapids Northview; Brandon Larson, Orchard Lake St. Mary's; Adam Simon, Blanchard Montabella; Ryan Sontag, Monroe Jefferson; Jonathan Westerman, Gaylord St. Mary; Clarence P. Wynn, Detroit Cass Tech. Girls Golf - Lindsay Davis, Dexter; Marie Snyder, Northville. S oftball - Krystal Cameron, Jackson; Julie Chelovich, Bloomfield Hills Lahser; Alison Gunden, Harrison; Ashley Howard, Allen Park; Sharisa Petrowsky, Laingsburg; Elizabeth Rossiter, Bridgman. Girls Soccer - Elizabeth Kaminsky, Dearborn Heights Crestwood; Maddie Mohre, St. Johns; Anna Polasek, Vicksburg; Keren Stiebel, West Bloomfield Jewish Academy. Boys Tennis - Chad Gerencer, Muskegon Catholic Central; Angelo Karaboyas, Riverview; Derek Linkous, North Farmington . Boys Track & Field - Liam Boylan-Pett, Bath ; WilliamHubbard, Dearborn Heights Annapolis; Jonathan Rumohr, Ishpeming Westwood; Dustin Schanz, Allegan; Kal Ustishen, New Lothrop; Justin Wedes, Berkley. Girls Track & Field - Kacey Herman, Cheboygan; Ashley Jager, Imlay City; Kelly Jo Phillips, Kinde-North Huron; Kelly Robinson, Holt; Devon Rupley, Northville; Leah Tarrant, Bath.

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: Marie Brenner , Grand Rapids Catholic Central, girls basketball; Ben Smith , Athens, boys cross country; Angela Gaudette , Kingsford, girls cross country; Kyle James Haskell , Charlotte, football; Jake Tornga , Hudsonville, boys golf; Ryan Anderson , Grand Rapids Northview, boys soccer; Rebecca Sornson , Brighton and Magda Stawikowska , Livonia Churchill, girls swimming & diving; Eleanor Ford , Ann Arbor Greenhills, girls tennis .

Winter scholarship recipients were: D.J. Mocini , Saugatuck, boys basketball; Daniel Case , Warren DeLaSalle, boys bowling; Sarah Jaeger , Livonia Ladywood, girls bowling; Courtney Kunik , Chesaning, girls competitive cheer; Desiree Lauricella , Jackson Northwest, girls gymnastics; Andrew Chima , Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, ice hockey; Jordan Ostwald , Kingsford, boys skiing; Miranda Olds , Fenton, girls skiing; Bradley James Turek , Adrian, boys swimming and diving; Anna Nowak , Traverse City Central, girls volleyball; and Joshua V. Barlow , Saginaw Heritage, wrestling.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,200 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.

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MEDIA ADVISORY -- A complete list of scholarship nominees and finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award can be found on the Services page MHSAA Web Site. Information about scholarship recipients will be posted on the MHSAA Web Site according to the schedule listed in this release, and media in the markets of the scholarship recipients will be notified by fax the day before the public announcement. For more information about Farm Bureau Insurance, contact Luke Schafer, Public Relations Manager, at 517.323.7000. You can download the MHSAA's Scholar-Athlete Award logo from the MHSAA Web Site � click on Forms & Graphics off the home page.

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