(WIAC) – University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Kayla Behnke has been named the recipient of the 2026 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.
A senior from Appleton, Wis. (Kimberly), she is double-majoring in computer science and mathematics and maintains a 4.00 grade point average. Behnke was named to the 2024-25 NCAA Division III Academic All-America® Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country First Team. She is a three-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honoree and four-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. Behnke has claimed multiple academic scholarships and has landed on UW-Eau Claire’s Dean’s List numerous semesters.
Behnke is a three-time All-American in the discus, placing fifth at the 2022 national championship before finishing fourth each of the last two years. She added All-America distinction in the hammer throw in 2024 and 2025, and earned All-Region honors both years. Behnke won the WIAC championship in the hammer throw this year and discus in 2024. A team captain, she owns the school record in the discus and was selected the Team MVP in 2024 and Team Newcomer in 2022.
She is a member of UW-Eau Claire’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College all terms of college. Behnke was a student researcher in machine learning from 2021-24, and presented at the National Committee for Undergraduate Research.
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-La Crosse’s Amber Grosse (Sr., Madison, Wis./Madison Edgewood); UW-Oshkosh’s Haley Kanitz (Sr., Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls); UW-Platteville’s Isabel Peterson (Sr., Kexington, Ky./Roosevelt); UW-River Falls’ Annika Gunderson (Sr., Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake); UW-Stevens Point’s Brenna Steinagel (Sr., Merrill, Wis./Merrill); UW-Stout’s Leah Zastrow (Sr., Spencer, Wis./Spencer); and UW-Whitewater’s Carleen Snow (Sr., Rio, Wis./DeForest).
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Judy Kruckman who served as Assistant Commissioner for the WIAC from 1996-98. Prior to this appointment, she was Commissioner of the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) from October, 1984 – September, 1996. Kruckman was the women’s athletics director at UW-Eau Claire from 1974-84, and one of the original representatives to the WWIAC when it formed in 1971. She was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average. In addition, she must be in her last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.
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