Healy named WIAA scholar-athlete for 2023 senior class
Colby senior Caden Healy was recognized as a WIAA scholar-athlete at an awards ceremony held in Wausau this past Sunday. The award recognizes excellence both on the field and in the classroom over the student-athletes’ four years of high school and is handed out to just 32 senior student-athletes across the state of Wisconsin each year.
Healy became just the second Colby student-athlete to receive the award, which was created in 1984. Hannah Mueller also won the honor in 2009. The 32 recipients this year were narrowed down from 841 nominations from 454 public and private schools, a testament to the competitive nature of the award.
“I appreciate that I was nominated and selected for the award,” Healy said. “It’s a pretty cool honor.”
Over his four year prep career, Healy has put together an impressive list of achievements across three different sports. In football, he recieved first team all-conference honors following both his junior and senior seasons, was named the Marawood Player of the Year in 2022, and won numerous statewide awards for his performance during his senior season. He also helped to contribute to Colby’s most recent state championship in 2021. He collected over 2,500 yards rushing and receiving and 42 touchdowns, as well as over 100 tackles during his varsity career on the team. He also won conference championships in track and made it to the state competition in both 2021 and 2022. In basketball, Healy was a four time varsity letter winner and was named to the all-conference team following his senior year.
While a lot of focus is often placed on the “athlete” portion of this award, it also speaks to the academic achievements of its recipients as well. Healy has proven to excel in the classroom and extracurriculars such as a three-year stint on the student council and two years of participation on the school’s math league team speak to a drive outside of the sports arena as well.
Participating in sports and putting in the work in the classroom have had positive effects on one another. A mind set to be to attack all aspects of his life with the same tenacity he demonstrates on the field or court has been a key to success outside of the field of play as well.
“I’ve always done everything with a little bit of intensity in sports,” Healy said. “And I’ve tried to find that drive in both [athletics and academics]. You drive to get things done right away, then you drive to go as hard as you can in both.”
Teamwork and leadership are skills he has also picked up on the field that he hopes have translated to other aspects of his life.
“In football, it doesn’t matter how good anyone is. Without your teammates, you aren’t going anywhere,” he added. “You need all eleven guys on the same page and when that happens, it’s pretty powerful.”
As graduation draws near, Healy has had some time to reflect back on what his time at Colby High School has meant to him.
“I appreciate all the teachers here; they’ve all helped me in some way or another,” he said. “And growing up here, growing up with my classmates and teammates, I appreciate the friendship that we all created with each other.”
Looking ahead to his next challenge, Healy will be looking to study civil engineering while playing football at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The choice to pursue engineering, according to Healy, was an easy one to make. He has always found the technical side of machines interesting, an interest born of helping to tinker with tractors and other machines growing up. Add to that a general love of math and science and the engineering track seemed the perfect fit. Healy is set to start that journey this coming fall.
Regardless of where life takes him, Healy noted that he will be always grateful for everything the school and the people in it have provided him.
“Everybody here had some role in who I am today and I’ll never forget that.”
