Lieder, Mc Ilhany Named Senior Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
Jarrett Lieder from men's swimming & diving and Amanda Mc Ilhany from softball were selected as the 2021 recipients of the UW-Oshkosh John Taylor Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.
The John Taylor Award is presented annually to an outstanding male and female senior student-athlete who has compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher. The award reflects not only individual athletic achievements, but also embodies the ideals of team contribution, scholastic endeavor, and community involvement.
Lieder swam for the Titans the past four seasons after graduating from Oshkosh North High School in 2017. He won the 1,650-yard freestyle at 2019 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship and both the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles at the 2020 league meet. Lieder also finished second in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the 2018 conference championship and the 500-yard freestyle in 2019.
A two-year team captain, Lieder was selected UW-Oshkosh's Most Valuable Swimmer all four seasons. He owns school individual records in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, 1,000-yard freestyle 1,650-yard freestyle and 400-yard individual medley. Lieder is also a member of school records in the 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays. He additionally holds the UW-Oshkosh Albee Hall record in the 1,000-yard freestyle.
Lieder graduated in May with a 3.945 cumulative grade-point average as a biology major. He will begin an internship with Marsh Family Eyecare in Oshkosh this fall.
Earlier this month, Lieder was named to the 11-member College Sports Information Directors of America NCAA Division III Academic All-District® 6 Men's At-Large Team. He was chosen as the 2021 recipient of the WIAC Max Sparger Men's Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete Award in March. Lieder became the first UW-Oshkosh men's swimming & diving athlete to receive the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award, which has been presented annually by the league since 1986.
Lieder, a four-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, was acknowledged on UW-Oshkosh's Dean's List all eight semesters of his attendance. Lieder recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA during his last 54 credits earned.
Lieder has volunteered for Special Olympics, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, YMCA, National Alliance on Mental Illness while mentoring at a local elementary school. He also worked as head lifeguard and co-manager at the Omro Family Aquatic Center.
Lieder's father, Craig Lieder, played baseball for UW-Oshkosh and was named the 1995 male winner of the John Taylor Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.
Mc Ilhany started 173 of UW-Oshkosh's 174 softball games the past five seasons after graduating from Marist (Ill.) High School in 2016. She helped the Titans to a 116-58 record, one WIAC regular season championship, one WIAC tournament title and three NCAA Division III postseason appearances.
UW-Oshkosh compiled a 29-13 record this past spring while earning a pair of WIAC titles and a fifth-place finish at the Division III Championship. The Titans shared the WIAC's regular season title with UW-Whitewater before posting a 4-0 win over the Warhawks in the third and deciding contest of the league's postseason tournament. UW-Oshkosh won two of its three games at the Division III Championship in Salem, Va., after going unbeaten in four regional contests.
Mc Ilhany, a second baseman, received Division III All-Great Lakes Region Third Team honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2021. She also collected All-WIAC First Team accolades this past spring after earning Honorable Mention recognition from the league in 2019.
Mc Ilhany started all 42 games for the Titans this past spring and hit .313 with one home run, seven doubles, 25 runs scored and 17 runs batted in. She committed just two errors in 170 opportunities for a .988 fielding percentage.
Mc Ilhany hit .385 with three runs batted in during a 2020 season that was canceled after six games due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In 2019, Mc Ilhany started all 40 games for the Titans and hit .325 with two home runs, three doubles, 24 runs scored and 15 runs batted in. The previous year she started all 40 games as UW-Oshkosh received an at-large bid to the Division III postseason. Mc Ilhany hit .374 that season with four home runs, six doubles, three triples, 29 runs scored and 22 runs batted in.
Mc Ilhany started 45 of the Titans' 46 games in 2017. UW-Oshkosh advanced to the Division III Super Regional as the freshman Mc Ilhany hit .277 with one home run, seven doubles, 20 runs batted in and 18 runs scored.
Mc Ilhany concluded her UW-Oshkosh career with a .323 batting average. She also totaled eight home runs, 24 doubles, six triples, 100 runs scored and 77 runs batted in while recording a .967 fielding percentage in 703 opportunities.
Mc Ilhany owns a 3.813 cumulative GPA and will graduate in December as a major in both in early childhood and special education. She will be student teaching at Clayton Elementary School in Neenah this fall.
A five-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, Mc Ilhany has been recognized on UW-Oshkosh's Dean's List seven of her 10 semesters of attendance. Mc Ilhany registered a perfect 4.0 GPA during her last 68 credits earned.
Mc Ilhany has been involved in volunteer activities with 360u Softball and the Salvation Army. She also did volunteer work in the Oshkosh community – helping make blankets for a women's shelter, playing bingo at a nursing home, working a toy drive, and wrapping gifts at a homeless shelter.
The UW-Oshkosh John Taylor Senior Scholar-Athlete Award was first presented in 1976 for men and in 1981 for women. Lieder is the second member from the men's swimming & diving program to receive the honor while Mc Ilhany is the sixth member of the softball program to win the award.
UW-Oshkosh John Taylor Senior Scholar-Athlete Award Recipients