Surane Named Baseball Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete

MADISON, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh's Jake Surane has been named the recipient of the 2024 WIAC Baseball Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
Surane, a senior from Lincolnshire, Ill. (Stevenson), is majoring in business management and information systems, and maintains a 3.55 grade point average. He is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has been named to UW-Oshkosh's Dean's List numerous times.
 
Surane is a three-time All-WIAC first team selection and added American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region second team honors in 2022. He established a program single-season record a year ago with 20 doubles and ranks fifth in program history with 69 stolen bases. His 29 stolen bases in 2022 are third in program archives.
 
He is a member of UW-Oshkosh's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Information Systems Club.
 
Also nominated for this year's scholar-athlete award were:  UW-La Crosse's Timothy Urlaub (Sr., Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville); UW-Stevens Point's Matt Baumann (Sr., New Berlin, Wis./Eisenhower); and UW-Whitewater's Bennett Frazer (Jr., Oconto, Wis./Oconto).
 
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. He oversaw the transition of the conference from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger arrived at UW-Stout in 1959 and served the institution in a variety of capacities, including an assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach and head football coach. He served as UW-Stout's athletics director from 1969-71 and was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
 
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average. In addition, he must be in his last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.

Release Courtesy of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference