University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

Brooke (Wozniak) Schmidt, a high school standout at Stanley-Boyd, ranks as one of the best three-sport athletes in Blugold history with 12 letters in volleyball, basketball and track and field.   She earned first team AVCA All-American honors in volleyball, one of only five to do so in Blugold volleyball history.  She was a starter on the Blugolds' 2003 basketball team that finished third in the NCAA Division III national championships and set a school record with 32 wins.  She was also an NCAA qualifier in the discus and shot put with the Blugold track and field team.

The 6-foot Schmidt went from team Rookie of the Year in 2000 to honorable mention All-Conference as a sophomore to a two-time All-Conference selection in volleyball.  She was named to 11 All-Tournament teams throughout her career and was selected team co-MVP as a senior. 

She ranks among the top seven Blugold players in career kills (1,298), attack percentage (.315), total blocks (367) and blocking assists (309).  The Blugolds produced a 91-40 record during her career, winning at least 21 matches every season.

Lisa Herb, her Blugold volleyball coach, called Schmidt "a dominant force at the net.  She was a hard hitter looking to score every time she was set."  She added that "Brooke was the go-to hitter when the team needed to score."  She said that while "she was intimidating as a hitter, she also was as a blocker."  She called her competitive nature "contagious" with teammates.

As a basketball player, Schmidt was a force on defense and also on the boards, leading the WIAC in rebounding both her junior and season seasons when she averaged 10.3 and 12.3 rebounds per game and was named to the WIAC All-Defensive team.  She once grabbed 23 rebounds in a game against La Crosse and 21 versus Stout during her senior season.  She still holds the single season rebound records for both total (350) and average (12.3) set during her junior and senior seasons, respectively.

Schmidt earned All-Conference first team and D3hoops.com All-Region second team honors as a senior and was the team's Most Improved Player in both 2002 and 2003 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2004.  The Blugolds won conference regular season and conference tournament titles in her freshman and junior seasons, advancing to the NCAA tournament both years.  She was named MVP of the California Lutheran tournament that the Blugolds won her senior season. 

The Blugolds were 95-21 during her four seasons on the team with a 50-14 conference mark.

Tonja Englund, the Blugold women's basketball coach, said "Brooke's relentless rebounding and strong defensive presence in the paint played a major role in the success of our 32-2 Final Four team in 2002-03."  She added that "her rebounds that season gave our team countless second, third and sometimes fourth chances offensively."  Englund stated that "Brooke simply out-worked, out-willed and out-powered her opponents when it came to rebounding."

Schmidt was a thrower and jumper on the Blugold track and field team. She qualified for the NCAA national championship meets in the discus and/or shot in 2002, 2003 and 2006.  She placed seven times in those two events in conference meets.  Her best conference performances were a second in the discus and a fourth in the shot put in 2006 when she came back for her final track season after being married to football standout Bob Schmidt and giving birth to their first child.

Track coach Tracy Yengo described Schmidt as "having a kind demeanor" but being "a fierce competitor."

Schmidt was a two-time Blugold Super Six Award winner. 

Since her UWEC graduation in 2006, she has been a math teacher at Rice Lake High School.  She  has been the Rice Lake head girls' track and field coach for 12 years and assistant varsity girls' basketball coach for the past three years.  She has also coached the varsity girls' cross country team, middle school volleyball and basketball teams, along with an AAU basketball team.  Her track teams have won five regional championships and this past season placed fourth at the WIAA Division 2 State meet which included a sixth-place finish by her daughter Isabelle in the shot put.