River Falls, WI (uwrfsports.com) Senior women's basketball player Kate Theisen has been selected as a winner of UW-River Falls Chancellor's Award for Students. The Chancellor's Award for Students is the highest non-academic award at UWRF and is awarded to students that have made significant non-academic contributions to the university.

Theisen is a Business Administration Major with emphasis in Management and Economics from Minnetrista, Minnesota. Kate has been heavily involved during her time on campus.

Theisen has served as a Campus Visit Intern and a Recruitment and Enrollment Team Member with the Admissions Office, an Innovative Research Member in the Department of Business Administration, an URSCA presenter, and captain of the women's basketball team.

In her nomination letter, Cindy Holbrook, Head Women's Basketball Coach, described Kate Theisen as "as an extraordinary student athlete at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls." Holbrook summed up Kate, saying, "Her daily commitment to UWRF core values, her positive and inspiring attitude and her courageous leadership all make her a tremendous candidate for this award. In seventeen years as a head coach, I have never coached a student-athlete that I could recommend more highly than Kate."

Yunge Dutton, Operations Manager for the Admissions & New Student and Family Programs, described Kate's recruitment efforts within the admissions office as "remarkable," saying, "she not only performed to our high standards for inclusivity, knowledge sharing, and personal engagement with prospective students and families, she performed to her own high expectations for herself."

In his supporting letter, John Walker, Professor of Economics, described Kate as "an excellent student in every way."
He said that on the basketball court, "she showed formidable leaderships skills. Even more important," he explained, "was the support Kate showed her teammates no matter what the circumstance. It is clear that Kate inspires her teammates as a result of her positive attitude and dedication."

Assistant Athletics Director Kellen Wells-Mangold spoke highly of Kate's character.
"She is a fantastic role model for young women. She recently gave a remarkable speech during the athletic department's National Girls and Women in Sports Day Luncheon. Kate's determination to succeed is not just commendable. She is the exemplary model of a strong female presence using her efforts to improve the world around her in a multitude of ways and that is exactly the type of student UW-River Falls hopes to develop."

Theisen finished her basketball career at UW-River Falls with 105 games played. Theisen scored 971 points in her career averaging 9.24 points per game, she snagged 489 rebounds, averaging 4.65 per game. Theisen scored a career high 41 points against Viterbo on December 13, 2014. She was 16 of 18 from the field and made 8 of 9 free throws.