Molly Olson, Monticello High School — 4.0 GPA
With a 4.0 GPA and first in class rank academically, Olson contributed to a State basketball championship her sophomore year and a State-runner-up finish her senior year. She is a four-time, All-Capital Conference first team performer in cross country and a two-time All-Six Rivers-East Conference selection in basketball. She was voted cross country team MVP three times and co-player of the year in the Six Rivers East Conference in basketball her senior year. The 10-time letterwinner is also a two-time all-conference selection and team MVP in softball.
She writes, “Sports taught me how to overcome adversity and the value of hard work. I have always been someone who is underestimated on the court because of my size, but I have never let the doubts weaken me. Instead, I have used them as motivation to put in the extra time.”
Olson plans to study biology as a pre-med major at Lawrence University
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has selected the 32 student-athletes to receive the prestigious, statewide 2026 Scholar-Athlete Award, presented by the We Energies Foundation and the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation.
Sixteen boys and 16 girls were selected as top award recipients based on athletic and academic achievement, with four honorees representing each of the four WIAA divisions. This year, 742 seniors were nominated by 379 high schools statewide. Since the program began in 1984, more than 1,344 scholar-athletes have been recognized.
The academic credentials of the 2026 class are impressive. Nineteen of the 32 recipients have maintained a 4.0 grade point average, and collectively have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.96. Athletically, this year’s honorees have earned a cumulative total of 279 varsity letters through 3 1/2 years of their careers for an average of more than eight letters per recipient.
“On behalf of the WIAA and our membership, it’s an honor to recognize these scholar athletes for the discipline, integrity, and commitment they’ve shown in both the classroom and competition,” WIAA Assistant Director Jake Beschta said. “Their achievements reflect not only personal excellence, but also the support of their families, coaches and schools. We are proud to celebrate students who truly embody the balance of academics and athletics, and we look forward to the positive impact they will continue to make in their communities and beyond.”
The 2026 WIAA Scholar-Athlete recipients will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Sunday, May 3 at SentryWorld in Stevens Point. The keynote speaker will be Wisconsin native Laken James, a former professional basketball player and founder of Five Star Academy.
Of interest this year, Phillips, Bonduel and Mosinee High Schools produced two WIAA Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, including Leah Harper and Gavin Esterholm from Phillips, Mariah Wondra and Ryan Westich from Bonduel, and Taelyn Jirschele and Treve Stoffel from Mosinee.
A live stream of the awards program will be available on the websites of the State Television Network stations, including WXOW-TV in La Crosse, WQOW-TV in Eau Claire, WAOW-TV in Wausau, WKOW-TV in Madison, WVTV in Milwaukee and WCWF in the Fox Valley at approximately 1 p.m. on May 3. A delayed telecast of the ceremony will be aired Sunday, May 10 at 11 a.m. on the Network’s dot-2 stations.
For more information on the Scholar-Athlete Award and biographies of the boys and girls recipients, access the Scholar-Athlete homepage on the WIAA website at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Schools/Awards-Recognition/Scholar-Athletes.
