Football player Ian Ailts and women’s soccer player Madison Burgard were announced Thursday by the Northern Sun Conference as the Wayne State College selections for the sixth-annual Butch Raymond Scholarship sponsored by Sanford Health.
Each student-athlete is awarded a scholarship for $7,500 for the 2019-20 academic year. The scholarship is in recognition of Butch Raymond, the NSIC Commissioner from 2004-14. To be eligible for the scholarship, the recipient must be a senior academically in 2019-20, have a grade-point average of 3.20 or higher, be participating in intercollegiate athletics and plan to work in a health related field or attend graduate school in a health related field.
Ailts is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound defensive back/linebacker and carries a 3.523 grade point average majoring in biology and chemical health science. On the field last season, Ailts earned NSIC South Division Honorable Mention honors after ranking second on the team in tackles with 59 despite missing two games due to injury. Ailts posted eight or more tackles in six of nine games played, record a season-high nine tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and two quarterback hurries at St. Cloud State and also had nine tackles vs. Winona State and nine tackles and a forced fumble at Concordia-St. Paul.
Burgard is a 5-foot-8 defender and maintains a 4.0 grade-point average majoring in chemistry health sciences and pre-med. Last season, Burgard started every game for the Wildcats at defender averaging 73 minutes per contest. She helped the Wildcat defense record five shutouts and is a two-time selection to the NSIC All-Academic Team.
Past Wayne State athletes that have received the prestigious scholarship include Jordan Spencer in 2014-15 (women’s basketball), Leisa McClintock 2015-16 (volleyball), softball player Monique Alyea in 2016-17, Derek Lahm (men’s track and field) and Katelyn Wobken (softball) in 2017-18 and Vance Janssen (men’s basketball) and Natalie Rech (soccer) in 2018-19.
