Howard Receives WIAC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Award

UW-Oshkosh's Charlend Howard has been named the 2016 recipient of the WIAC Max Sparger Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Award.

Sponsored by Badgerland Financial, Howard becomes the ninth Titan to win the award. UW-Oshkosh's list of previous winners includes two-time honoree Dave Lambert (1990 & 1991) and Eamon McKenna (2002), the current head men's & women's cross country coach of the Titans. UW-Oshkosh's Jordan Carpenter won the award last year.

Howard, a senior from Gaylord, Mich., owns a 3.59 cumulative grade point average as a major in kinesiology. He was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Coaches Association All-Academic Team in 2014 and 2015 and has been recognized on UW-Oshkosh's Dean's List three semesters. Howard is a two-time WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll member.

A team captain, Howard collected all-league second team recognition with his 14th-place run at last Saturday's (Oct. 29) WIAC Championship in Stevens Point. Last year, he finished seventh at the WIAC Championship to earn all-league first team laurels while placing 34th at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional and 50th at the NCAA Division III Championship.
 
Howard is a member of the National Consortium for Health Science Education and is CPR and First Aid certified. He has volunteered with Run with the Cops and in various capacities at elementary schools in Oshkosh and his hometown of Gaylord.
 
Also nominated for this year's award were UW-Eau Claire's Nick Petersson, UW-La Crosse's Michael Glaser and UW-Stevens Point's Dane Tyler.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference for 22 years from 1971-93.