Matt Dahlseide of the University of Wisconsin-Stout has been selected the WIAC Max Sparger Men’s Ice Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2024.
Dahlseide, a senior at Maplewood, Minnesota’s St. Paul Academy, has a 4.00 grade point average and is majoring in business administration with concentrations in investments & finance and sales & marketing. He is a three-time American Hockey Coaches Association All-American Scholar, and the College Sports Communicators named him to the NCAA Division III Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team for 2022-23. Dahlseide has been named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll three times and has appeared on the Dean’s List many semesters at UW-Stout.
He earned a position on the All-WIAC first team last season, when he led the conference with 19 assists and ended second with 29 points. Dahlseide also scored a team-high eight goals. In 2021-22, he finished second on the club with 12 assists.
Dahlseide, in addition to his academic and athletic achievements, has volunteered as a young hockey coach for three years.
This year’s scholar-athlete award was also nominated for Northland College’s Brandon Holt (Sr., Madison Heights, Mich.), UW-River Falls’ Josh Martin (Sr., Brownstown, Mich.), UW-Stevens Point’s Harrison Stewart (Sr., Rockford, Ill.), and UW-Superior’s Troy Quinn (Sr., Nepean, Ontario/St. Paul’s Catholic).
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, the Wisconsin State University Conference’s commissioner for 22 years, from 1971 to 1993. He handled the conference’s transition from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger joined UW-Stout in 1959 and served in a variety of roles, including assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach, and football coach. He was UW-Stout’s athletics director from 1969 to 1971 and was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
To be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 GPA. In addition, he must be in his final year of competition, or on track to graduate this academic year, and have competed for at least two years. The award is given based on academic achievements, athletic achievements, and participation in other campus activities, organizations, and community service projects.