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By Brian Lucas
April 16, 2014
Anyone who attends the Buckinghams, the "Student-Athlete Annual Showcase of Excellence," has come to expect the unexpected. Student-athletes who excel on the field will surprise you with varied talents, whether it's playing the piano, singing and opera or twirling a rifle. All of those things happened Monday night at the sixth annual event.
However, one moment stole the show and provided a great cap to an incredible evening. The final performer of the evening was Brett Hochstaetter, a redshirt sophomore on the wrestling team. He began his rendition of Brett Eldredge's 'Mean to Me' by saying, "This is for someone special in the crowd."
That drew a response from the 650 people in attendance at the Overture Center, but not quite as large as the one he elicited after he put his guitar down and addressed his girlfriend, Erica, on stage. "I'd like to, in front of my family, my brothers and coaches on the wrestling team and all my fellow Badgers," was how Hochstaetter started. He then dropped to one knee and proposed. As Erica nodded yes, the crowd erupted, collectively standing on its feet and applauding.
It's the kind of thing that you can only see at the Buckinghams. The night began with Vitto Brown, an accomplished singer on the men's basketball team, and three of his teammates performing 'La, La, Means I Love You' by the Delfonics. Other performances included a salsa/samba dance by Lavinia Jurkiewicz of women's cross country, a musical medley from quarterback Joel Stave and his brother, Bryan (with some help from Jake Keefer) and William Ottow from men's cross country performing 'Oh Is There Not One Maiden Breast' from Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance' (it's an opera, Google it).
In between the incredible performances, a number of Badgers were honored for their performance in the classroom and in the community. A complete list of award winners is below. Among the impressive accomplishments: 260 student-athletes were recognized as 3.5 GPA award winners with three of those, Nicholas Caldwell (men's swimming), Taylor Zimprich (women's cross country) and Kimberly Dinh (women's golf) holding down perfect 4.0 cumulative GPAs. The teams with the highest cume GPAs were women's cross country and men's tennis.
The women's rowing and football teams were honored as the "Badger Challenge" winners. Those awards went to the men's and women's teams that exemplify commitment to developing the whole student-athlete. "Badger Challenge" components include academic achievement, athletic achievement, personal enhancement, on-campus learning, community outreach and SAAC and SAESO participation. Between the women's rowing and football teams, those student-athletes combined for more than 3,200 community service hours.
Individually, linebacker Chris Borland and women's hockey goalie Alex Rigsby were named male and female Buckinghams Student-Athletes of the Year as voted on by their peers. Both were multiple-time All-Americans who also excelled away from athletics. Borland graduated last December while Rigsby, a two-time Academic All-WCHA selection, is on pace to graduate this December. Borland led all UW student-athletes with an astonishing 125 hours of community service and Rigsby's 23 placed her near the top.
The night was a celebration of the true student-athlete and showed off many talents. And for one couple, it was literally a life-changing event.
2012-13 Remington Scholars (Highest cume GPA who complete their eligibility, graduating letterwinner)
Megan Beers (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field)
Cody Rissman (Men's Rowing)
2014 Athletic Board Scholars (Highest cume GPA for previous year, above sophomore standing, letterwinner, non grad student)
Zachary Showalter (Men's Basketball)
Michael Brice (Men's Cross Country)
Michael Trotter (Football)
Robert Jacobsen (Men's Golf)
Adam Miller (Men's Hockey)
Kyle Anderson (Men's Rowing)
Adam Lauko (Men's Soccer)
Drew Teduits (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Oskar Wikberg (Men's Tennis)
Reed Connor (Men's Track & Field)
Connor Medbery (Wrestling)
AnnMarie Brown (Women's Basketball)
Dana Steffen (Women's Cross Country)
Kimberly Dinh (Women's Golf)
Kathryn Josephs (Women's Hockey)
Nicole Hettmann (Women's Rowing)
Alessandra Ruenger (Women's Lightweight Rowing)
Nicole La Petina (Women's Soccer)
Taylor Stewart (Softball)
Ivy Martin (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Lauren Chypyha (Women's Tennis)
Taylor Kirby (Women's Track & Field)
Crystal Graff (Volleyball)
Performance Awards (Nominated for their academic work and constant improvement)
Morgan Paige (Women's Basketball)
Madison Packer (Women's Hockey)
Kelly Jaminski (Women's Hockey)
Genevieve Richard (Women's Soccer)
Yolanda Hayes-Barnes (Women's Track & Field)
Deme Morales (Volleyball)
Evan Anderson (Men's Basketball)
Duje Dukan (Men's Basketball)
Michael Caputo (Football)
Kenzel Doe (Football)
Robert Jacobsen (Men's Golf)
Sean Little (Men's Hockey)
Tyler Graff (Wrestling)
President's Award (SAAC & SAESO Presidents honored for their leadership)
Abbie Weigel (Women's Track & Cross Country)
Kodee Williams (Women's Soccer)
Academic Momentum (To recognize student-athletes who have demonstrated significant academic improvement throughout their collegiate careers and celebrate them for having the ability to balance textbooks with playbooks)
Mohammed Ahmed (Men's Track & Cross Country)
4.0 Recognition Award
Nicholas Caldwell (Men's Swimming)
Taylor Zimprich (Women's Cross Country)
Kimberly Dinh (Women's Golf)
Impact Award (Highest number of community service hours per team)
Duje Dukan (Men's Basketball)
Drew Shields (Men's Cross Country)
Chris Borland (Football)
Thomas O'Bryan (Men's Golf)
Jake McCabe (Men's Hockey)
Beau Batty (Men's Rowing)
Nick Janus (Men's Soccer)
Alexander DeLakis (Men's Swimming & Diving)
John Zordani (Men's Tennis)
Sawyer Smith (Men's Track & Field)
Connor Medbery (Wrestling)
Michala Johnson (Women's Basketball)
Taylor Zimprich (Women's Cross Country)
Kimberly Dinh (Women's Golf)
Ilana Friedman (Women's Hockey)
Kelsey Kramer (Women's Rowing)
Kodee Williams (Women's Soccer)
Taylor Berry (Softball)
Katie Delaney (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Lauren Chypyha (Women's Tennis)
Erin Rosewicz (Women's Track & Field)
Julie Mikaelsen (Volleyball)
Unsung Hero Award Nominees (Displays hard work, positive attitude and determination in athletics, the classroom, as well as the community)
Josh Gasser (Men's Basketball)
Jacob Naylor (Men's Cross Country)
Michael Caputo (Football)
John Gullberg (Men's Golf)
Joe Faust (Men's Hockey)
Jonathan Smaglick (Men's Rowing)
Jameson Kronser (Men's Soccer)
Nick Caldwell (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Oskar Wikberg (Men's Tennis)
Tyler Woloszyk (Men's Track & Field)
Cole Tobin (Wrestling)
AnnMarie Brown (Women's Basketball)
Erin Cawley (Women's Cross Country)
Kris Yoo (Women's Golf)
Kelly Jaminski (Women's Hockey)
Charlotte Keleske (Women's Rowing)
Mackenzie Whiteside (Women's Lightweight Rowing)
Genevieve Richard (Women's Soccer)
Michelle Mueller (Softball)
Aja Van Hout (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Rebecca Bailey (Women's Tennis)
Brianna Bower (Women's Track & Field)
Dominique Thompson (Volleyball)
Unsung Hero Award Winners
Jonathan Smaglick (Men's Rowing)
Genevieve Richard (Women's Soccer)
Chi Alpha Sigma (National Student-Athlete Honor Society)
Beau Batty (Men's Rowing)
William Bleifuss (Men's Rowing)
Travis Breunig (Men's Rowing)
Charles Clapp IV (Men's Rowing)
Logan Hietpas (Men's Rowing)
Marcus Trotter (Football)
Dan Voltz (Football)
Jacob Brindle (Men's Soccer)
Michael Sinha (Men's Tennis)
Andrew Brekke (Men's Track & Field)
Reed Connor (Men's Track & Field)
William Ottow (Men's Track & Field)
Brett Hochstaetter (Wrestling)
Conor Medbery (Wrestling)
AnnMarie Brown (Women's Basketball)
Rachel Gendreau (Women's Rowing)
Nicole Hettmann (Women's Rowing)
Kristine Kammers (Women's Rowing)
Gretchen Miron (Women's Rowing)
Brianna Murphy (Women's Rowing)
Paige Resch (Women's Rowing)
Alessandra Ruenger (Women's Rowing)
Elizabeth Schoenfeldt (Women's Rowing)
Gabrielle Anzalone (Women's Cross Country)
Anne Gregory (Women's Cross Country)
Rachel McNally (Women's Cross Country)
Erin Rosewicz (Women's Cross Country)
Elizabeth Sequin (Women's Cross Country)
Dana Steffen (Women's Cross Country)
Rebecca Stoebe (Women's Cross Country)
Abby Busler (Women's Golf)
Kathryn Josephs (Women's Hockey)
Jaclyn Gellings (Women's Soccer)
Megan Tancill (Softball)
Maria Van Abel (Softball)
Ivy Martin (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Rebecka Palm (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Brianna Bower (Women's Track & Field)
Taylor Kirby (Women's Track & Field
Katelyn Malcore (Women's Track & Field)
Emmon Rogers (Women's Track & Field)
Marissa Savitch (Women's Track & Field)
Abbie Weigel (Women's Track & Field)
Team Impact Award (Greatest number of community service hours divided by the number of student-athletes on the roster)
Football
Women's Golf
Team Highest Cumulative GPA Award
Women's Cross Country
Men's Tennis
Badger Challenge winners (teams that exemplify commitment to developing the whole student-athlete)
Women's Rowing
Football
Buckinghams Student-Athlete of the Year Nominees (Nominees are all the SAAC student-athletes of the month winners)
Josh Gasser (Men's Basketball)
Michael Van Voorhis (Men's Cross Country)
Chris Borland (Football)
Rob Jacobsen (Men's Golf)
Michael Mersch (Men's Hockey)
Logan Hietpas (Men's Rowing)
Nick Janus (Men's Soccer)
Drew TeDuits (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Elliot Sprecher (Men's Tennis)
Michael Lihrman (Men's Track & Field)
Connor Medbury (Wrestling)
Morgan Paige (Women's Basketball)
Anne Gregory (Women's Cross Country)
Kimberly Dinh (Women's Golf)
Alex Rigsby (Women's Hockey)
Pam Schommer (Women's Rowing)
Briana Murphy (Women's Lightweight Rowing)
McKenna Meuer (Women's Soccer)
Maria Van Abel (Softball)
Ivy Martin (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Lauren Chypyha (Women's Tennis)
Deanna Latham (Women's Track & Field)
Crystal Graff (Volleyball)
Buckinghams Student-Athlete of the Year Winners
Chris Borland (Football)
Alex Rigsby (Women's Hockey)
