LCWM senior Grace Moeller was selected as the State High School Heisman Award Winner for females in Minnesota. The award is not split into classes. There is only one girl and one boy state winner in each state regardless of school enrollment numbers. Moeller’s state win comes with a $1,000 scholarship to offset college tuition costs. This year’s LCWM school winner for boys was Camden Ludeman, the Knights All District Football Player and State Honor Roll Track Athlete. Last year’s LCWM school winners were Lakesha Carter and Jack Richards. Recently, LCWM female winner Olivia Flack was named a state finalist in 2018 and now Moeller’s selection is the first state winner in LCWM school history.
“We would like to thank our partners at Acceptance Insurance for sponsoring this tremendous program which extends the Heisman prestige to the nation’s most esteemed high school seniors,” stated Michael Comerford, President of the Heisman Trust. “We are very excited to announce that we have doubled the scholarship amounts this year. We look forward to recognizing the most deserving, community-minded scholar athletes and rewarding them with additional funds to help offset their college tuition.”
The Heisman High School Scholarship program will recognize a winner from each high school in the nation that has student participation in the Program by way of application. The top male and female applicants from each state will be awarded $1,000.
Following are some excerpts from Moeller’s answers to this year’s essay questions:
“The loss of my sophomore track season made me realize how important running was for my physical and mental health. During a time when so much was uncertain and canceled, the opportunity to go for a run never let me down. Between April and September of 2020, I ran 650 miles. In retrospect, I can see the exponentially positive impact it had on my life. Athletically, I was able to shave significant time off my personal bests and achieve the goal of qualifying for state meets in cross country and track. Long runs gave me time to organize my thinking and solve problems creatively. Academically, I completed a project that qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair, a documentary shown at the State History Day competition, and introduced the MN State Board of Education to pollinator curriculum that I developed as a 4H State Pollinator Ambassador. It was a challenge to not let the pandemic dominate my thinking; running gave me the ability to look toward the future with hope.”
“Acceptance is about opportunity. My sports: cross country, alpine ski, and track & field; have athletes of varying abilities. I have teammates with cerebral palsy, scoliosis, and who are wheelchair bound. You don’t have to make the cut to compete, nor do you have to win to be considered a winner. Everyone comes to practice with personal goals and strives to achieve them. I was born with bilateral hip dysplasia, which rendered me immobile for my first eight months. At age 4 I was diagnosed with Gross Motor Delay and prescribed physical therapy to learn how to run, jump, and skip. My hand-eye coordination was not at the level of my peers and I can still remember my third grade classmates groaning with comments of ‘oh, no, not her’ when I was put on their team in PE.”
“Making the connection between hard work and success is one of the most important lessons I have learned through my involvement in high school athletics. I have grown up with strong role models in my life, from teammates to coaches to family members.”
Moeller is the daughter of Jeremy and Kelly Moeller. Ludeman is the son of Sander VI and Breanna Ludeman.
