Madison, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse senior Gabi Hooper of New Brighton, Minn. (Totino-Grace) and UW-Stout senior Meghan Hargens of Rosemount, Minn. (H.S.) have been named 2010 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women’s Gymnastics Co-Scholar-Athletes.
Hooper is majoring in community health education and boasts a 3.86 grade point average. She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been named to UW-L’s Dean’s List numerous semesters.
Hooper claimed six WIAC individual titles during her career, including the vault and floor exercise at this year’s championship. She is a two-time national champion in the vault and earned All-America accolades six times in her career. Hooper has helped UW-L secure three WIAC crowns and two National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships. She holds the school record in the vault and was named the team’s MVP in 2007.
A team captain this season, she is a member of UW-L’s Winner’s Council and has served as a volunteer for Girl Scouts and Breast Cancer Walk.
Hargens, a senior from Rosemount, Minn., carries a 3.50 grade point average and is majoring in business. She is a NCGA All-Academic selection and been named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll three times. Hargens has received UW-Stout’s Chancellors Award four semesters.
She is a seven-time All-American and captured three WIAC individual titles, including back-to-back all-around first-place finishes. In 2009, Hargens was named the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics West Region Gymnast of the Year and was the only NCAA Division III gymnast to compete at the NCAA Division I Regional at the University of Iowa. She is a three-year team MVP and holds school records in the all-around and uneven bars. A three-year team captain, Hargens is a member of UW-Stout’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-Eau Claire’s Samantha Howard (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley), Katie Kooiker (Sr., Grantsburg, Wis.), Becca Lukanich (Jr., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) and Alicia Schaub (Sr., Lakeland, Minn./Stillwater), UW-La Crosse’s Chelsey Luck (Sr., Greenville, Wis./Hortonville) and Kelsey Matula (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) and Gustavus Adolphus’ Christina Sorensen (Sr., Worthington, Minn.) and Laurel Urquhart (Sr., Great Falls, Mont.).
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Judy Kruckman who served as Assistant Commissioner for the WIAC from 1996-98. Prior to this appointment, she functioned as Commissioner of the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from October, 1984 - September, 1996.
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average. In addition, she must be in her last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.