MADISON, Wis. -- University of Wisconsin-River Falls'
Lauren Best has been named the recipient of the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Soccer Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.
Best becomes the third Falcon in UWRF women's soccer history to earn the honor, and the most recent since Carlin Bunting in 2012.
A senior from Oshkosh, Wis. (Oshkosh West), Best boasts a 3.939 grade point average and is majoring in exercise and sport science with a minor in pre-physical therapy. She is a two-time member of the NCAA Division III Academic All-District® Women's Soccer First Team, selected by the College Sports Communicators, receiving the honor in 2023 and 2024. She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and received the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society Award in 2024. Best has been named to UW-River Falls' Dean's List numerous semesters and earned multiple academic scholarships.
A team captain the past two years, Best secured a spot on the All-WIAC first team this season. She has helped the Falcons accumulate 13 victories this year – the most for the program since the 2003 campaign. Best was selected the Team Newcomer of the Year in 2022, and was a nominee for the UW-River Falls Falcon Award in 2023 and 2024 – an award given to someone that is the "ideal teammate".
Best is a member of UW-River Falls' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She has accumulated 150 hours of physical therapy job shadowing, both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition, Best is currently a soccer coach and works in a nutrition shop during the soccer season.
Also nominated for this year's scholar-athlete award were: UW-Eau Claire's Selah Smith (Sr., Oswego, Ill./Oswego); UW-La Crosse's Logan Fritsch (Sr., Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago); UW-Oshkosh's Maris Heun (Sr., Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer); UW-Platteville's Lexi Ward (Jr., Eldridge, Iowa/North Scott); UW-Stevens Point's Cassidy Klitzke (Sr., Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg); UW-Stout's Hannah Hagman (Sr., Farmington, Minn./Farmington); and UW-Whitewater's Summer Curtis (Sr., Cary, Ill./Cary Grove).
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.
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. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.
