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Issued: May 8, 2007

FALLER EARNS WIAC TRACK AND FIELD SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD

MADISON – UW-Eau Claire women’s track and field hurdler Liz Faller (Sr.-Marinette) has been named the 2007 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women’s Track and Field Scholar-Athlete Award winner, it was announced today by conference sports information director Matt Stanek.

Faller is the first Blugold to receive the Outdoor Scholar-Athlete Award since Breanna McMullen in 2005. Eau Claire earned both the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete Awards in the same season for the first time in school history. Pole vaulter Steph Barnes (Sr.-Sauk City/Sauk Prairie) earned the indoor Scholar-Athlete Award this past season.

Faller boasts a 3.96 grade point average and is majoring in kinesiology - physical education teaching. She is a two-time member of the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Five College Division Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Second Team. Faller has been named to her institution’s Dean’s List every semester and has been recognized on the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll the last two seasons.

She is a two-time All-American, placing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III Championship last season and was a member of the seventh-place 4x400-meter relay team in 2005. Faller won the conference title in the 100-meter hurdles in 2006. She was named her team’s MVP in 2006 and the co-rookie of the year in 2005.

Faller is a member of the Wisconsin Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and Students for Health, Adventure and Physical Education. She has volunteered at a community learning center and worked for the Eau Claire Area School District Jogathon the last two years.

Additional nominees for this year’s scholar-athlete award included: UW-Eau Claire’s Shalene Huth (Sr.-Appleton/West) and Christina Locke (Sr.-Racine/Horlick), UW-La Crosse’s Brenna Anderson, Christy Birkholz, Emily Burns, Nikki Cahen, Jena Durnin, Meagan Herlache, Lindsay Leech, Emily Lewandowski, Beth Medinger and Kristen Painter, UW-Oshkosh’s Kristy Giljohann, Jenny Graef, Brigid Hamill, Amanda Kozicki, Nichole Pelischek and Sarah Schettle, UW-River Falls’ Jill Crandall, Holly Kromray and Carrie Van Houten, UW-Stevens Point’s Bethany Richter, UW-Stout’s Taylor Mayo, Rebecca Monyhan and Stephanie Nichols and UW-Whitewater’s Abbie Brown, Amanda Meyer and Mollie Zirbel.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Judy Kruckman and sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. Kruckman 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.

WIAC Release

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