Alumni Central Teton alumni show fruits o f highest team G P A If athletic scholarships were st ock investments, putting money on any one of the mighty Wil- liston State Tetons o f 1992-94 would have been extremely smart, especially if the goal was to make a positive difference in the world. While male basketball players often have a "dumb jock" reputation, this team turned those expectations upside down, earning the very highest GPA among 4 60 U.S. community col- leges for two straight years, and they're still making their mark today. W e interviewed "Fas t Fred" Fridley, Dr. Tracy Hjelmstad, D r. Brett Vibeto and Dave Leom about those pivo tal years that raised the bar of excellence for future students at Williston State. Leom, now a math teacher in Milaca, MN, was recruited from Watford City High where, at 6'8", he was known as "Tree" and, along with Frid- ley, helped Watford City win the state champi- onship his senior year. Leom, who had a 3.94 GPA in high school, heard embarrassing reports about some un- derachieving athletes at Williston State, he said, but former recruiter and WSC Coach Terry Olson in- sisted change. N ow Director of the WSC Foundation, Ter- ry explains: " W e were looking for a better caliber player, a better caliber person and a better caliber student, and Dave was all of that." Dave Leom, Math Teacher, Milaca, M N "My dad was a parts manager a t a John Deere dealership," said Leom, "H e didn't have enough money saved to send us to college, so W lliston State scholarships helped a lot." Y et Leom recalls that th e cost of college was a major hurdle. "Dad didn't have enough money saved to send us to college, so Williston State scholarships helped a lot." Leom and team- mate Sean Stephens, no w a Ph. D. psy- chologist in his home country of Trinidad, helped create a new culture at the basket- ball player's dorm, POPS House, now a pri- vate residence at 603 E. 18th St E. in Williston. Brett Vibeto "When I got there, there were loud parties lat at night so you couldn't sleep o r prepare for classes," said Leom. But he wasn't about t his academic record slip. "Sean and I sat down with he guys and said, This shouldn't be go- ing on. I f you want to party, do it elsewhere.'" "W e had a mindset and expectation," explained D r. Tracy Hjelmstad, now a podi- atric surgeon at Trinity Hospital in Minot. "The recruiting message was clear: We're not just look- ing for talent. We're looking f or mature, good people, w ho work hard both on a nd of f the court,' and that became the standard at Williston." :,sN D r . Tracy Hjelmstad, Podiatric Surgeon, Minot, N O Eight guys received straight As. "From outside looking in, you may think, 'What a bunch of nerds.' B u t I take pride in that. W e would beat teams we had n o business playing, come home, do our homework, then go watch a movie."
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8/8/2019 Tetons Defy Jock Image w Nation's Highest GPA