Wisconsin women's soccer senior defender Jessica Ring continued adding to her resume of postseason accolades Wednesday, being named a recipient of the 2006 Woody Hayes National Scholar Athlete award for student athletes in all sports of Division I athletics.
The award, named after the former Ohio State football head coach from 1951-78, is given annually to six college athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics and community service. Ring is the first winner to be selected from the University of Wisconsin.
A fifth-year senior and two-time captain for the Badgers, Ring graduated with a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average in legal studies from the UW last May and enrolled in her first year of law school in August.
A first-team Academic All-American in 2005 and three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Ring's community service efforts included visiting Children's Hospital, cooking and serving food to children at the Ronald McDonald House and instructing soccer for a Girl Scout Troop, among other volunteer camps.
This season, Ring helped the Badgers to their second Big Ten tournament title in November en route to being selected to the all-tournament team and the event's defensive most valuable player. Wisconsin went on to appear in its 14th NCAA tournament.
2006 Woody Hayes National Scholar Athlete Award Winners
Division I Male: Luke Johnson, football, University of Southern Mississippi
Division I Female: Jessica Ring, soccer, University of Wisconsin
Division II Male: Jason Koch, football and track & field, St. Cloud State University
Division II Female: Amanda Stevens, volleyball, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University
Division III Male: Santo Maimone, football, Case Western Reserve University
Division III Female: Holly Glover, golf, University of Mary Hardin Baylor
