Women's Gymnastics

UW-Oshkosh’s Tkaczuk Named Judy Kruckman Women’s Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete

MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Baylee Tkaczuk has been selected the recipient of the 2020 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women’s Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
A senior from Channahon, Ill. (Minooka), Tkaczuk sustains a 3.60 grade point average and is majoring in psychology and pre-med. She was named to the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Scholastic All-American Team in 2017 and 2019. Tkaczuk is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and appeared on UW-Oshkosh’s Dean’s List numerous semesters. She has served as a Presenter for Research at the State Capital.
 
Tkaczuk helped UW-Oshkosh secure the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional title this year by finishing second on the uneven bars. She is a two-time National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) champion in the uneven bars, accomplishing the feat in 2017 and 2018. A year ago, Tkaczuk finished fourth in the uneven bars at the national championship to secure All-America recognition. She won the balance beam at the 2017 conference championship and added all-conference honors in 2018 and 2019. Tkaczuk owns the school record for the highest uneven bars score at the NCGA championship (9.850).
 
Tkaczuk has volunteered with Special Olympics, Feed America and Winnebago Mental Health Institution.
 
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-La Crosse’s Brittany Gutzkow (Sr., Cedar, Minn./Pact Charter School); UW-Stout’s Sierra Coonts (Sr., Windsor, Colo.); UW-Whitewater’s Lauren Marshall (Sr., Winthrop Harbor, Ill./Zion-Benton Township); and Winona State University’s Hannah Norman (Sr., Springfield, Ore./Thurston).

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 was Commissioner of the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) from October 1984 - September 1996. Kruckman was the women's athletics director at UW-Eau Claire from 1974-84, and one of the original representatives to the WWIAC when it formed in 1971. She 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, 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.
 
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