CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The American Rivers Conference announced today the four female and three male finalists for its 2017-18 Johanna Olson and Duane Schroeder Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards. 

The finalists for the Johanna Olson A-R-C Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award are former Central College softball student-athlete Tabitha Taylor, former Loras College volleyball player Haley Bergan, former Luther College softball standout Anna Strien and former Wartburg College cross country and track & field student-athlete Ashlyn Bagge.
 
The Duane Schroeder A-R-C Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year finalists are former Central College cross country and track & field runner Mark Fairley, former cross country and track & field student-athlete Timothy Sevcik and former Wartburg College basketball player Nate Woeste.

This year's Female and Male Scholar-Athlete finalists now go before the full group of nine faculty athletics representatives for review and vote. The 2017-18 winners will be announced Tuesday, January 22, 2019. at www.rollrivers.com.
 
A short profile of each nominee follows below.
 
About the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards
The American Rivers Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were first presented in December 2001 for the 2000-01 academic year. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete shall have graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the academic year for which the award is given. The nominee must have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment and achievement in a varsity sport, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and show evidence of scholarly achievements, community service involvement and leadership. Both awards were named originally for former Wartburg and Conference sports information director Duane Schroeder in May 2002. The women’s award was renamed in December 2013 for former Luther College student-athlete Johanna Olson – the inaugural winner of the women’s award – who lost a courageous battle with cancer in January 2013.
 
About Johanna Olson
The American Rivers Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is named in honor of the late Johanna Olson, a former cross country and track & field student-athlete at Luther College who was the inaugural recipient of the award. Olson battled brain cancer for over 15 years before her fight ended on January 3, 2013 at age 33. She was originally diagnosed with a brain tumor as a college freshman in 1997 but went on to win the 2000 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship three years to the day after her initial brain surgery. In addition to the national title in cross country, she won three Conference Individual Championships and three Conference Most Valuable Runner awards (1999, 2000, 2001). In track and field, she was the 2001 Conference Most Valuable Performer, earning All-America honors in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs. Olson was also a member of the 2001 distance medley relay team that captured the indoor national title. She was named the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) regional and national Athlete of the Year in both cross country and track and field in 2000-01. In 1999, Olson was presented the Honda Awards Inspirational Athlete of the Year after returning from radiation treatments to compete at the national level.
 
About Duane Schroeder
The American Rivers Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is named in honor of the late Duane Schroeder, former sports information director (SID) at Wartburg College. Schroeder served as Wartburg’s SID for 43 years until his retirement in 2000. Upon his retirement from his sports information duties, he was named SID Emeritus and served as Wartburg’s News Director until 2001. During much of his four decades at Wartburg, Schroeder served as the Conference’s information director and secretary/treasurer.
 
Previous Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Year	Duane Schroeder Male Scholar-Athlete	Johanna Olson Female Scholar-Athlete
2017-18	Announced Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019	Announced Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019
2016-17	Riley Gray, Central, football	Lori Obendorf, Loras, basketball
2015-16	Zach Frey, Loras, track & field	Kaitlin Phillips, Loras, basketball; Clare Slagel, Luther, Swimming
2014-15	Daniel Bonthius, Wartburg, track & field	Bailey Wilson, Wartburg, volleyball
2013-14	Kyle Freischlag, Central, tennis	Ramey Sieck, Wartburg, volleyball
2012-13	Wyatt Hanus, Dubuque, football	Shari Huber, Luther, softball
2011-12	Michael Zweifel, Dubuque, football	Kelsey (Kittleson) Millonig, Luther, softball
2010-11	Ryan Schisler, Coe, baseball	Jill (Ziskovsky) Halcomb, Central, track & field
2009-10	Tyler Burkle, Coe, wrestling	Hannah Baker, Wartburg, track & field
2008-09	Alec Bonander, Luther, wrestling	Kelsey Steffens, Wartburg, volleyball/track & field
2007-08	Kyle Duchman, Wartburg, football	Kristy Upah, Coe, volleyball
2006-07	Adam Bohach, Luther, cross country/track & field	Abby Erion, Loras, track & field
2005-06	Adam Duerfeldt, Central, baseball	Katie Pederson, Central, volleyball/track & field
2004-05	Garrett South, Luther, wrestling	Amy Ernst, Coe, softball
2003-04	Brent Showalter, Wartburg, track & field	Raegan (Schultz) Wagner, Central, volleyball/track & field
2002-03	Jesse Harris, Simpson, basketball	Jessica Jensen, Buena Vista, basketball/track & field
2001-02	Dale Biser, Cornell, football/track & field	Brianne Schoonover, Wartburg, basketball/track & field
2000-01	Tim Vinyard, Coe, football/baseball	Johanna Olson, Luther, cross country/track & field

 
WOMEN’S FINALISTS
Tabitha Taylor * Softball * Central College * Grimes, Iowa/Dallas Center Grimes
Taylor was a four-year varsity letterwinner and team captain of the softball team at Central, earning first team All-Conference honors one time. The Grimes, Iowa native finished her career with a .341 batting average in 457 at-bats. She played in 161 games, 150 in which she started. Taylor compiled 156 hits, driving in 95 RBI, scoring 95 runs while tacking on 34 stolen bases.
 
Among her scholarly achievements and awards was being a four-time recipient of the Easton/NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete Award. Additionally, Taylor was a two-time College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA) Academic All-District honoree and a three-time Academic All-Conference award winner.  
 
Taylor actively volunteered at organizations such as the Marion County Humane Society, The Well Resource Center, Oskaloosa YMCA, First Federated Church and Meals from the Heartland. She also took part in a service trip to Mission, Texas to build homes for those in need.

Head Softball Coach George Wares: "Tabitha not only embraced the whole-person concept of Division Ill athletics, she lived it. On the softball field, Tabitha was a talented player, focused on her team's success rather than individual awards. Throughout her Central career as a student and an athlete, Tabitha displayed curiosity, maturity and discipline, achieving her academic goals while playing the sport she loved."

Haley Bergan * Volleyball * Loras College * Edgewood, Iowa/Edgewood Colesburg
Bergan, a three-time All-Conference performer for the Loras volleyball team, concluded her career as the Duhawks’ leader in career digs (2,326). Her success was not only on the court but also in the classroom, where she carried 4.00 GPA as an accounting major and management information systems minor. Bergan’s efforts in the classroom earned her CoSIDA Academic All-American honors during her junior and senior seasons. Additionally, she was a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree.
 
The Edgewood, Iowa native spent time volunteering with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), campus ministry, Loras student alumni council and in the organization of Special Olympics practice and play days. Her volunteer work with SAAC included time as Loras’ secretary and president. Additionally, Bergan participated in a service trop to Nicaragua with the women’s volleyball team.
 
Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Jenna Ness: " Haley is loyal, devoted, mature, and passionate about everything that she indulges in, which shows through her performance. She was part of something bigger than herself and understood the impact she was making.  Haley is a selfless and fearless leader that impacted so many in her time at Loras. "

Anna Strien * Softball * Luther College * Cedar Falls, Iowa/Waterloo Columbus
Strien was a four-time All-Conference honoree, a three-time All-Midwest Region team member and a two-time first team NFCA All-American. She also represented Luther as a 2018 NCAA Division Ill National Softball Championship All-Tournament team selection. Strien holds Luther College career records for RBI (175), doubles (57), hit-by-pitch (43), defensive assists (291) and in 2017, she recorded the best season batting average at .531.
 
Academically, Strien was named CoSIDA Academic All-American two times and selected Academic All-Conference three times. The NFCA also honored Strien as a Scholar-Athlete four times. As a political science major, history minor, Strien was involved in several research projects, including: Analysis of Gideon v. Wainwright; Justice for those Who Defend Us; The Supreme Court’s Influence on Major League Baseball; Critical Analysis of Title IX; and The Evolution of Presidential Polling in the United States.
 
During her time at Luther, Strien was involved in service activities with Decorah Parks and Recreation, Luther PALS (big brother/sister program for kids in Decorah) and Luther LASO (Luther Athlete’s Serving Others). Her work with Decorah Parks and Recreation forwarded her opportunities to work with local children in after school programs and mentor local youth through administering varying athletic programs.

Head Softball Coach Renae Hartl: " She plays at the highest intensity and hype level of any player I have ever coached. Her teammates called her "Jeter" (stemming from how she plays shortstop) and she has been our leader in every way the past four seasons (our captain her junior and senior seasons). No matter what I say, it doesn't give you a real opportunity to meet her, spend time with her, and have your life affected by her. I am so grateful that I got that special opportunity for four years. "

Ashlyn Bagge * Cross Country and Track & Field * Wartburg College * Independence, Iowa/Independence
Bagge, as a senior with only six classes remaining until graduation, who had never ran competitively in her life, joined the Wartburg cross country team with the guidance of head coach Ryan Chapman. Six weeks after joining the team she earned her first All-America honor. Bagge went on to earn seven All-America honors in total, with four coming in outdoor track & field, two in indoor and one in cross country. At the conference level she claimed a cross country title during her final season and followed that up with two titles during the outdoor season.
 
Bagge’s scholarly achievements begin with recognition as a CoSIDA Academic All-American during her final season and earning USTFCCCA All-Academic honors two times. Bagge was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honors Society for four years and served one-year terms as the Vice President and President of Kappa Mu Epsilon.
 
Bagge’s community service included participating as group leader for ACES Scholarship Program, where a team created three cost designs for optimizing the parking lot near and around Meyer's Pharmacy in Waverly, Iowa. One design was selected and implemented in the summer of 2018. She also made blankets for those in need through Blankets of Love, participated in Wartburg’s Dance Marathon, volunteered at St. Elizabeth’s food drive for three years, tutored college students in calculus, and taught a low-level college course.  

Head Cross Country Coach Ryan Chapman: "Ashlyn is, essentially, the ideal archetype of the Division Ill athlete: A Renaissance-woman of sorts who can lead a tempo run by day and a discrete math study session by night. Ashlyn Bagge did not know quit. I found this out immediately. She gritted her teeth every racing opportunity and put the team on her back. The young woman made the team better simply by showing up to a huddle."

MEN’S FINALISTS
Mark Fairley * Cross Country and Track & Field * Central College * Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque
Fairley, a two-time team captain for the Central College cross country and track & field teams, was a two-time All-American, earning a national title in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 2018 and collecting a national runner-up finish in 2017. The Dubuque, Iowa native was a four-time NCAA Division III cross country national qualifier and took home All-America honors in 2017 with a 26th-place finish. Also, in 2017, Fairley was named the Division III Central Region Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year after finishing first at the Central Regional meet. At the conference level, Fairley was a four-time All-Conference performer in cross country and earned All-Conference 12 times between indoor and outdoor seasons.
 
Scholarly accolades for Fairley begin with the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually across all divisions. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically, and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Fairley was a seven-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree and was awarded CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in cross country/track and field. Additionally, he was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and a six-time Academic All-Conference award winner.

His community service included leadership roles within Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and volunteering in Central College Service Days and the cross country team’s service projects. Fairley also volunteered at the Child and Family Urban Ministries’ breakfast club, the Klompen Classic 5K road race, Crossroads Day camp, Courage League Sports, Special Olympics and vacation bible school. During the summer of 2018 Fairley participated in a one-week mission trip to Brazil.
 
Head Cross Country Coach Joe Dunham: "Mark was one of the hardest working athletes on our team. His dependability was driven by his desire to do things correctly, no matter the task. Whether to encourage others or to provide direction for his teammates, Mark was one of the most reliable athletes I have ever coached. Mark has found success because he possesses a unique ability to connect with individuals on a personal level and communicate his passion for excellence." 

Timothy Sevcik * Cross Country and Track & Field * Loras College * Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls
Voted team captain during his junior and senior year, Sevcik was a four-time All-Region cross country runner for Loras College and earned All-America accolades in 2017. As a member of the outdoor track and field team, Sevcik was a two-time All-Region performer in the 5000-meter. Sevcik’s efforts helped the Duhawks to four-straight cross country conference titles (2014-2017). During his sophomore and senior campaigns, Sevcik finished second at the conference championships.
 
In addition to Sevcik’s athletic accomplishments he graduated Summa Cum Laude, double majoring in biology and Spanish, with a minor in chemistry. He was twice named CoSIDA Academic All-American and earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors three times. Additionally, he was a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree in cross country and track.
 
Sevcik’s efforts extended past the classroom and track, as he was heavily involved on the Loras campus and within the community. He was a four-year member of the Praise & Worship Choir and a musician for mass at Christ the King Chapel on the Loras campus. Sevcik was also a trombone player in the Loras Wind Ensemble. In the community, through the Loras Honors program, he worked on a group project that emphasized cultural competency and community-based learning.  His project addressed the lack of women and minorities in STEM careers.  They hosted chemistry carnivals for area students and families and did an after-school program at an elementary school that the Loras Chemistry Club continues to host. Sevcik also studied abroad in Santiago De Compostela, Spain in the spring of 2016.  He had an internship there with OELS.  On his trip he taught English to students of all ages and helped prepare them for CEFR and other accreditation exams. Sevcik also volunteered in the pediatric unit of the local hospital while in Spain.

Head Cross Country Coach Bob Schultz: "Aside from Timothy’s accomplishments as a runner, what stands out equally is his involvement on the Loras College campus and in the Dubuque community. In my 25-plus years of coaching he is one of the most outstanding young men that I have had the privilege to work with and was a coach’s dream! "

Nate Woeste * Basketball * Wartburg College * Atkins, Iowa/Benton Community
As a four-year letterwinner and three-time team captain for the Wartburg College basketball team, Woeste three-times earned All-Conference honors. During his playing career he had an impressive list of accomplishments: 20th in all-time career points (1,000-point club); all-time leader in games played; 9th in 3-point field goals made; 3rd in free throws made; and 5th in steals.
 
Academically, Woeste was awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. As a biochemistry major, Woeste graduate Summa Cum Laude. Three times he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court and in his senior year earned CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades. The former forward for the Knights also earned Academic All-Conference honors three times.
 
Woeste was involved in community service volunteer work at the Bremwood Residential Treatment Center, North Star Community Services and Blankets of Love. During his time at Bremwood he was able to provide teenagers with severe emotional and behavioral disorders the opportunity 'to participate in extracurricular activities and experience social outlets in safe, fun, and inclusive environments.' Additionally, Woeste volunteered as a little league baseball coach and a camp coach at Ben Jacobson’s basketball camp at UNI.
 
Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dick Peth: "As the head basketball coach at Wartburg College, I can attest to the importance of having a competent, responsible, and reliable student-athlete for the overall success of our program. Nate has proven himself to possess all these qualities. His leadership abilities in the classroom are paralleled with that on the basketball court."