WICHITA, Kan. – Butler sophomore Madison Wedekind was named the 2015 Junior College Female Athlete of the Year by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. Wedekind, a two-sport athlete in women's soccer and cross country, received the award at Thursday's Greater Wichita Sports Banquet at the Hyatt Regency Wichita.
In soccer, Wedekind helped the Grizzlies to its fourth straight trip to the NJCAA National Championship Tournament, as she led the team with 35 points and 14 goals in 2014. For her efforts, she earned second-team All-American honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and was named to the NSCAA West All-Region squad for 2014. Wedekind also received first-team All-Conference and NJCAA All-Region honors.
Wedekind also was third on the squad with seven assists. The Valley Center native had a stretch of scoring 10 goals in a nine-game span and had three games with two goals (St. Louis, Sept. 5; at Dodge City, Sept. 20; at Neosho County, Sept. 28).
Wedekind also helped the Butler women's cross country team to its 14th conference title in 15 seasons, as she placed fifth overall at the Region VI meet in October. Wedekind, who placed 41st at the NJCAA National meet, also received first-team All-Region honors.
In addition to her sporting achievements, Wedekind also earned Academic All-Conference honors during both her freshman and sophomore year.
As a freshman with Butler soccer, Wedekind started all 26 games, finished third with 15 goals and led the Grizzlies with 20 assists, accumulating 50 points. She scored two key goals in a 4-2 Region VI semifinal win vs. Hutchinson on Nov. 7 and had a season-high five points (two goals, one assist) in a 12-0 win over Illinois Central on Sept. 8. Wedekind received second-team NSCAA All-American honors, as well as first-team All-KJCCC, first-team All-Region VI and NSCAA All-Region honors.
In her collegiate cross country debut, Wedekind was the Jayhawk West champion as the top league finisher at the Region VI meet with a time of 20:12.4, which earned her first-team All-Conference honors. She was the Grizzlies' top finisher at the NJCAA national meet, placing 40th overall.
Wedekind also participated in track during her freshman year, qualifying for nationals in both indoor and outdoor in the women's 4x800-meter relay. At the Region VI Indoor Meet, she helped the relay team take first and also placed fourth individually in the 1,000-meter run. At nationals, the relay team placed seventh overall. During the outdoor season, Wedekind helped the relay team place third at the Region VI Outdoor Championships and finished 11th at nationals.
Wedekind has committed to play soccer for Kansas State University, which begins its women's program during the fall of 2016.
