Milwaukee – Laura Hackbarth of Wauwatosa, a senior at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School (DSHA), has been selected to receive the 2006 Award of Excellence from the Women's Sports Advocates of Wisconsin, Inc.

She will be recognized at WSAW's Annual Awards Banquet, scheduled for February 4, 2006, at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Milwaukee, WI.

Every Wisconsin public and private high school is invited annually to select one student-athlete for the Award of Excellence. Recipients must meet the high standard of a minimum of 3.0 cumulative GPA and a varsity letter in at least one girls WIAA sport. She also received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in basketball in 2004 & 2005.

WSAW formulated the Award of Excellence program in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is held each year on the second Thursday in February. The WSAW program is the only one of its type in Wisconsin, recognizing both public and private school student-athletes from throughout the state.

WSAW staged its first Annual Awards Banquet in February of 1991. To date, nearly 3,000 student-athletes from all over Wisconsin have been honored and recognized as recipients of the WSAW Award of Excellence. In addition, the Annual Awards Banquet also features the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to an individual who has contributed in an outstanding way to benefit girls and women in sports in Wisconsin.

Founded in 1980, WSAW is an internationally recognized, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing opportunities for girls and women who choose to participate in sports.