UWSP Captures All-Sports Trophy

UW-Stevens Point Captures 1999-2000 WIAC All-Sports Trophy

A big year in University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point athletics has been capped by winning the Pointers’ first-ever Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Sports trophy.

The Pointers won conference titles in seven of the league’s 19 sports and edged UW-La Crosse by one point for the overall title. Points are awarded according to the final standings in each sport on a 9-8-7, etc. basis, 8-7-6, etc., depending on how many schools compete in each sport.

UW-Stevens Point accomplished most of its success on the men’s side, winning conference titles in five of the nine sports to easily claim its fourth consecutive men’s All-Sports award. The Pointers also had three second place finishes and one third place standing.

The Pointers won men’s conference titles in basketball, hockey and swimming and diving. They also shared titles in football and baseball to finish with 60.5 points, which outdistanced second place UW-La Crosse, which had 51.5 points.

UW-Stevens Point won women’s titles in soccer and swimming and diving to finish fifth in the standings with 53.5 points. UW-Eau Claire won the women’s trophy with 63 points and UW-La Crosse was second with 61.5 points.

In the overall standings, UW-Stevens Point had 114 points to edge UW-La Crosse with 113 points. UW-Eau Claire was third with 97.5 points.

Overall, 15 of the Pointers’ 19 sports finished in the top half of the conference standings and 12 sports qualified teams or individuals for NCAA tournament competition. The Pointers also had 15 different sports nationally ranked at one point during their respective seasons.

UW-Stevens Point football player Andy Palzkill has been named one of 13 NCAA Division II and III football players to earn an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

A total of 35 players across the country in all divisions are awarded the $5,000 scholarships for postgraduate study. Palzkill, a Mineral Point, Wis. native, who compiled a 3.92 grade point average in Sociology, will pursue a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling at UW-Platteville.

Palzkill was a Football Gazette first-team Division III All-American this past season, setting a single-season school-record and ranking eighth in Division III in interceptions with nine.

He was also recognized off the field as a second-team GTE Academic All-American. Palzkill was joined as a postgraduate scholar by UW-Oshkosh’s Craig Pierstorff as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference had two players honored.

Schwamberger, Byrne Named to GTE Spring Academic All-District Teams

It’s been a successful season off the field at UW-Stevens Point as well, as the Pointers landed two more GTE Academic All-District selections, giving them seven honorees for the past year.

The latest selections are seniors Dan Schwamberger in men’s track and field and Tammy Byrne in women’s tennis. The pair were each named to the All-District teams for spring at-large sports, which includes all spring championship sports besides baseball and softball. The district includes all Division II, Division III and NAIA athletes in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana. Both athletes are now eligible for Academic All-American honors.

Schwamberger, who was a second-team GTE Academic All-American in cross country last fall, won the NCAA Division III indoor national championship in the 5000 meters and is competing at this weekend’s outdoor national championships. He also was a member of the Pointers’ second-place distance medley relay team at the indoor nationals.

The North Mankato, Minn. native has a 3.91 grade point average in Forest Management. He won WIAC indoor titles in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters while earning Most Valuable Runner honors at the meet. He also won the 5,000 meters and took second in the 1,500 at the WIAC outdoor championships.

Schwamberger, who is a two-time All-American in cross country, was UW-Stevens Point’s individual sport male "Athlete of the Year" for the past season.

Byrne, an Oregon, Wis. native, is majoring in German and has a 3.98 grade point average. Byrne was the WIAC No. 3 singles and No. 3 doubles champion in 1996 and is a two-time team Most Valuable Player.

This past season, she posted a 12-3 singles record and 8-7 doubles mark, primarily at the No. 2 positions to earn team MVP accolades. Byrne has earned the College of Letters and Science Outstanding Student Achievement Award in Foreign Language and Most Outstanding German Student Scholarship. She was also awarded the Margaret Schmauss Scholarship, which gave her a full stipend to study in Mageburg, Germany for one year.
Byrne is currently completing her student teaching assignment and serving as the varsity boys’ tennis coach at D.C. Everest High School.

Indoor Track and Field Teams Earn USTCA All-Academic Honors

The UW-Stevens Point women’s indoor track team has been named an All-Academic team by the United States Track Coaches Association, while the Pointers’ men’s team had the most individual scholar athletes of any NCAA Division III school.

To qualify, teams must have a minimum 3.10 cumulative team grade point average. The Pointers’ women’s team had the seventh-best grade point average in the country at 3.22, which was the highest of any WIAC school.

UW-Stevens Point also had a national-best six men named individual scholar athletes, along with two women’s athletes. To earn individual honors, athletes must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average and have competed at the indoor national championships.

Jesse Drake (Rhinelander, Wis.), Craig Gunderson (Waupaca, Wis.), Chris Horvat (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), Josh Keim (Dalmatia, Pa.), Joel Schult (Merrill, Wis.) and Dan Schwamberger (North Mankato, Minn.) were among 36 male athletes recognized. No other school had more than four athletes honored.

Megan Lundahl (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) and Leah Juno (Brillion, Wis.) were among 45 athletes named to the women’s team after each earning All-American honors at the indoor meet.

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