Bayreuther, Carpenter Named Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
Softball player Haley Bayreuther and Jordan Carpenter of the men’s cross country and track & field teams have been named the recipients of the 2016 UW-Oshkosh John Taylor Scholar-Athlete Award.
The John Taylor Scholar-Athlete Award is presented annually to an outstanding male and female senior letter winner who owns a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher. The award reflects not only individual athletic accomplishments, but also embodies the ideals of team contribution, scholastic endeavor and community involvement.
Bayruether, a four-year letter winner from Janesville, is a three-time All-WIAC first team selection. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association also named her to the NCAA Division III All-Great Lakes Region Second Team in 2014 and to the Third Team in 2015.
This spring, Bayreuther received All-WIAC first team honors after hitting .294 with 30 runs, 15 runs batted in, three home runs and a league-leading five triples.
Bayreuther, who started each of the Titans' 151 games at shortstop over the past four seasons, concluded her career with a .303 batting average, 132 runs, 130 hits, 13 home runs, 60 runs batted in and a school-record 48 stolen bases. She helped lead UW-Oshkosh to a 104-47 record, including a 44-16 mark in conference play, during her four seasons.
Bayreuther, a major in both elementary and special education, has a 3.528 cumulative grade-point average. She has volunteered at elementary schools in Janesville, Neenah and Oshkosh, while also serving as a member of the UW-Oshkosh Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and assisting with the Janesville Craig High School varsity and summer softball teams.
Carpenter, a two-time NCAA Division III All-American from Ashwaubenon, collected 11 varsity letters across three sports. He earned one All-America award and four letters in both cross country and outdoor track & field and three letters in indoor track & field.
In cross country, Carpenter achieved All-America honors by finishing 13th at the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship. He captured All-Midwest Region and All-WIAC first team accolades in both 2014 and 2015.
In outdoor track & field, Carpenter earned All-America honors with his eighth-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2014 NCAA Division III Championship. Earlier this month, he won the 3,000-meter steeplechase and ranked fourth in the 5,000-meter run at the WIAC Championship.
Carpenter, a graduate student pursing his master’s degree in business administration, completed his bachelor’s degree in economics with a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average. He won Elite 90 Awards at the 2014 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship and at the 2015 Cross Country Championship. The Elite 90 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.
Carpenter, who was named to the 2015 Academic All-America Second Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America, was also chosen as the 2015 WIAC Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Carpenter is a former president of the UW-Oshkosh Optimist Club and a campus tutor at the university.
The John Taylor Scholar-Athlete Award was first presented in 1976.