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Name: Morgan Banasik
 
School: Prairie du Chien
 
Grade: Senior
 
Volleyball Honors: Three-time varsity letter winner for coach Vicki Scott … A 5-foot-8 middle hitter who also played the back row … Second-team all-conference pick in the Southwest Wisconsin Conference as a junior, and an honorable mention selection as a sophomore and senior.
 
Basketball Honors: Four-year varsity letter winner for coaches Tom Cowley and Paula Shedivy … Scored more than 1,500 points during her prep career to finish second on the school’s all-time scoring list … Averaged 16.5 ppg as a senior in leading the Blackhawks to a 13-11 record … Scored a career-high 33 points in a victory over Dodgeville as a junior and poured in 30 points in a 48-37 triumph over Lancaster as a senior … A three-time first-team all-league pick in the Southwest Wisconsin Conference … Led Prairie du Chien to the WIAA Division 3 State Tournament as a junior, scoring 16 points in a semifinal loss to Altoona … Accepted a NCAA Division II basketball scholarship to Minnesota State-Moorhead.
 
Track & Field Honors: Three-year varsity letter winner for coaches Mitch Tollefson and John Hendrix … Participates in the 300 hurdles, the 200-meter dash, long jump, triple jump … Also participates in the 4x200 relay … Advanced to the sectional level in the 300 hurdles as a freshman, and in the 4x400 relay as a junior.
 
Softball Honors: Lettered as a sophomore for coach Liz Steiner while playing first base for the Blackhawks.
 
Favorite Sport: “Basketball is my favorite. I just like the atmosphere a lot better. It’s more fun playing basketball. Playing together as a team and helping my teammates is a lot of fun for me. I started playing AAU basketball in sixth grade.”
 
Best Part of High School Sports: “Everyone being able to support everyone else. People you don’t even know coming up to you and telling you played a good game. Being a part of something that isn’t too stressful like school is a lot of fun.”
 
Best Advice from a High School Coach: “Probably just to never underestimate my ability. Sometimes I don’t look at things on the positive side. I look at things like the glass is half empty. The coaches tell me to keep going because I am going to surprise myself.”
 
Most Memorable Moment in High School Sports: “Advancing to the WIAA State Tournament as a junior. We beat Edgerton in the sectional finals and nobody ever thought we’d make it that far. We beat Richland Center in the regional final game that year and that was very special. Going to state for the first time in 20 years … it was an awesome feeling.”
 
Best Part of Playing Three Sports: “You don’t ever get bored because you go from one sport to the next. All of the sports have different pros and cons. It’s fun to enjoy all of the sports instead of just focusing on one sport.”
 
Toughest Part of Playing Three Sports: “Definitely, having each coach individually wanting you to do so much stuff before the season starts in regards to workouts in the summer. Volleyball, softball and basketball leagues in the summer … you had to pick and choose.”
 
Favorite Opponents: “Richland Center in basketball. They are always very good competition for us and there is a good rivalry going on, even though they beat us most of the time. That rivalry has been strong since my freshmen year, and we only beat them once in my four years and that was in the regional finals my junior year.”
 
Favorite College Teams: Wisconsin Badgers, UConn women’s team.
 
Favorite Professional Teams: Green Bay Packers.
 
Cumulative GPA: 3.87.
 
Toughest Individual You’ve Competed Against: “Rachel Pope from Dodgeville. We’re both in the same grade and she was on the varsity as a freshman, too. She is super fast and it’s hard to guard her. She always brought out the best in me. It was just really good competition.”
 
College Plans: “I plan to attend Minnesota State-Moorhead on a basketball scholarship and will study pharmacy and Spanish.”
 
Activities Outside of Sports: National Honor Society, President of Student Council, Key Club, Skills USA, volunteer at Prairie du Chien Nursing Home, volunteer at the St. John’s Parish Bazaar, volunteer with the Operation Santa Claus program, math tutor.
 
I Find it Relaxing to: “Mainly hang out with friends and goo to the movies or go shopping. I also like to go bowling with my family.”
 
Favorite TV shows: “Too many. My favorite one right now, America’s Best Dance Crew along with Criminal Minds.”
 
Favorite Movies: “The new version of Footloose.”  
 
Favorite Musical Artists: “Luke Bryan, Nicki Minaj, Drake.”
 
Favorite Subject: Math.
 
Favorite Restaurant: Noodles & Company in Madison.
 
Favorite Websites: www.pinterest.com, www.twitter.com.
 
Other Family Members: Father, Andy; mother, Melissa; younger sisters, McKenzie and Macey; younger brother, Nathan.    
 
If you would like to nominate a senior, three-sport athlete for Triple Play Triple Threat, contact Mark Miller at mark (at) wissports.net