Two local students named finalists as scholar athletes

Two students from the area have been selected as statewide finalists for the very prestigious 2026 WIAA Scholar Athlete Award.

From a pool of more than 724 nominated seniors across 379 Wisconsin high schools, just 32 have earned the distinction of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (WIAA) Scholar Athlete Finalist for 2026.

Cooper Erickson-SPASH

Erickson earned All-Wisconsin Valley Conference first team honors four times in cross county and three times in track. He was a member of four State champion cross country teams and a State champion track & field team. He finished eighth at the State cross country championships as a senior and ninth as a junior. Erickson also placed eighth in the 1,600-meter run at the State track & field championships.

Mya Dernbach-Almond-Bancroft

Dernbach is an 11-time letter winner, including four in volleyball and four in both basketball and softball heading into this spring. She was a two-time team MVP in all three sports. A three-time regional champ in softball, Dernbach was named to the Central Wisconsin-South all-conference first team three times in softball, twice in volleyball and twice in basketball. She was voted conference MVP in both volleyball and basketball her senior year. Dernbach helped the Eagles earn a softball sectional championship her junior season.