RENTON, Wash. – The WIAA, Dairy Farmers of Washington, and Les Schwab Tires announced David Emanuels of Mercer Island High School and Loryn Musgrove of Kelso High School as the recipients of the third annual Smart Choices Scholarship, Friday. 

“David and Loryn are two exceptional students,” WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese said.  “They exemplify the term, student-participants, by being scholars in the classroom, volunteering countless hours in their communities and boasting outstanding athletic achievements.  This scholarship was created to honor students like these.”

The winners each receive a $5,000 scholarship to the school of their choice.  Emanuels has committed to Dartmouth College to play football and study biomedical engineering, while Musgrove will be enrolling at Eastern Washington University to pursue a degree in biology and participate in track and field. 

In addition to the two $5,000 scholarships, the Dairy Farmers of Washington and Les Schwab Tires have teamed up for a second-straight year to issue eight $1,000 scholarships to four male and four female finalists.  The list of finalists can be found at the bottom of the release.

Emanuels is a three-sport athlete for the Islanders, participating four years in football and basketball and one year in track and field. Emanuels had a stellar football career.  He was named first-team by the Seattle Times, KingCo League and the Associated Press.  For his success, Emanuels was selected to compete at the East-West All-Star Game.  In addition, he was honored by the Seattle Seahawks and by the WIAA as an Athlete of the Week.  In basketball, he guided Mercer Island to the Regional Round as a junior and was all-league honorable mention.

In addition to his athletic achievements, Emanuels has been an exceptional student.  The Mercer Island native was named a US Presidential Scholar Semifinalist, selected as a Washington Scholar by the Washington Student Achievement Council, and attended a National Youth Leadership Forum on medicine at UCLA.  He will graduate Mercer Island as the valedictorian with a 4.0 and will have completed 18 total AP/Honor courses.

Emanuels has given back to his community by volunteering for nine community service organizations, which include Relay for Life Committee for Mercer Island, University of Washington Medical Center, Highland Community Center, Mercer Island Special Olympics, Angeline’s Center for Homeless Women, Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club and Mercer Island Farmer’s Market to name a few.

Musgrove, the female recipient, had an equally successful high school campaign.  The Kelso native participated in basketball, soccer and track and field for the Hilanders.  In addition, she played violin for the Kelso High Chamber Orchestra and sings for the Kelso High Chamber Choir.  In track and field, Musgrove set a school freshman record in the pole vault when she cleared 10 feet, but has since cleared 11 feet, six inches.  She has also competed at the WIAA State Track and Field Championships all three years and is poised to return to Tacoma for a fourth trip.  Her highest placement at State in pole vault  is third and she is the reigning Greater St. Helens League (GSHL) district pole vault champion.  She also guided the Hilanders to the round of 16 in State Soccer and the Regional Round in basketball.  Also in basketball, she was named GSHL First-Team and second-team all-area.  In soccer, she was second-team all-league.

The three-sport athlete has held many leadership positions at Kelso while also maintaining a 3.98 GPA.  She began her high school career as the Freshman Class Vice President and continued to stay involved.  As a sophomore she was named the ASB Secretary and Leadership Secretary.  As a junior she was elevated to ASB Vice President and became the ASB Secretary for a second time as a senior, while adding the roles of K Club President and Chamber Choir Vice President.

An advocate in the community, Musgrove’s senior project was a Heart Out Night, an initiative to raise money and awareness for the Spencer’s Heart Strong Foundation.  She organized a campaign to sell t-shirts and accept donations during a football game against a rival school, where she helped raise over $1,200. 

“The Dairy Farmers of Washington and Les Schwab Tires created the Smart Choices Scholarship program in an effort to recognize outstanding youth that are making a difference in our communities and to help improve their opportunities to access funding for higher education,” said Jeff Steele, Director of Retail Marketing and Business Development for the Washington Dairy Products Commission.

Representatives from the Dairy Farmers of Washington and Les Schwab Tires will be on-site at each school’s “Scholarship Night” to present the scholarship to the honorees.  In addition, each winner will be invited to attend the WIAA Coaches School in July where they will be recognized at a luncheon in front of over 400 coaches.  

“Our founder, Les Schwab, believed in supporting the communities where his employees live and work – that’s why stores and employees do much more than sell tires and brakes," Les Schwab Tire Centers Regional Manager Andy Sherry said.  “We invest our time and resources into events and organizations that promote responsibility, hard work and serving the community – values our company believes in. It's why we are proud of our association with the Dairy Farmers of Washington and the WIAA. Our Smart Choices Scholarship program is just one more way we are trying to make a difference in our communities."

$1,000 Scholarship Recipients

Female Finalists:
Nicole Bennie  |  Shadle Park HS 
Emily Ge  |  Charles Wright Academy 
Annalisa Ursino  |  West Seattle HS
Cecilia Vu  |  Evergreen (Seattle) HS

Male Finalists: 
Mark Donghyun So  |  International School
Michael Giles  |  Mount Vernon HS
Quinn Magendanz  |  Liberty (Issaquah) HS
Matthew Warren  |  Dayton HS

To interview any of the finalists, please contact the WIAA Sports and Activities Information Director:
Conor Laffey
claffey@wiaa.com
(425) 282-5240