As The Star honors its 2023 Scholar-Athletes, let’s check in with our winners from 2013
As The Star honors its 2023 Scholar-Athlete award-winners this weekend, we also continue another long-standing tradition: catching up with our honorees from a decade ago.
In 2013, The Star’s Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year were Leavenworth High’s Nathan Butler and Gardner Edgerton’s Cassie Wait, respectively.
Here’s what each is doing now and how both reflect on their time back then.
NATHAN BUTLER
LEAVENWORTH
Residence: London
Currently: A software engineer, Butler has lived in the UK for two years. His big move overseas occurred during the pandemic. He was working for a company with offices in San Francisco and London; when the Bay Area office was shuttered, his bosses said they needed him to move across the pond. “I thought it was a really cool opportunity to live abroad,” he reasoned, “so I said yes.” The coolness factor has only increased since. “... (I)ts an incredibly international city with people from all over the world, some amazing food and plenty of things to do.”
Those things, for Butler, include more traveling: “Someone once said to me, ‘London is at most 10 hours from anywhere in the world,’ and I think I’ve gotten to hit almost 20 different countries since I’ve lived here.” Today, he’s pursuing a master’s degree in global economics from the London School of Economics. “It’s a bit of a change of pace from my degree in computer science,” he said, “but it has been a really neat way to see the world differently.”
Family: Parents/family still live back home in Kansas.
High school: By the time Butler left Leavenworth High as The Star’s 2013 All-Metro Wrestler of the Year, he’d gone undefeated as a senior (44-0, 38 pins), won a third straight Kansas state wrestling championship and ranked No. 2 academically in his graduating class of 344. After placing fifth at state as a freshman, he pretty much ran the table in all that he encountered. This attracted the interest of major-college wrestling programs nationwide, including ...
College: Stanford. Butler joined the Cardinal wrestling team and majored in computer science. He finished his college career ranked ninth all-time at Stanford with 105 wins, making him the most decorated heavyweight wrestler in program history. He was ranked as high as No. 5 nationally during college. “Wrestling through college in particular has completely changed my life,” he said. “I made some of my best friends through it and have gotten some incredible opportunities.”
Sports now: Still central in his life. The company for which Butler works specializes in endurance sports events and he says he does “a lot of running and biking, hit the gym regularly and usually do active things like hiking or snowboarding in my free time.” He says staying active is a healthy way to de-stress “and focus on something other than work or school.”
CASSIE WAIT
GARDNER EDGERTON
Residence: Lenexa
Currently: Works in claims and disputes as an attorney with Black & Veatch in Kansas City. She earned her degree in finance a year early and was able to begin studying law while playing her fourth year of college volleyball at KU. She then went to work for a local firm doing commercial litigation and eventually landed her current job at Black & Veatch.
Family: Married Baldwin High grad and former K-State tight end Dayton Valentine in 2021. He’s now an assistant football and track and field coach at Blue Valley Northwest. They met through Dayton’s college roommate, whose younger sister played volleyball with Cassie at KU. Two Bernese mountain dogs keep the couple busy.
High school: She was a multi-sport start at Gardner Edgerton. Just before graduation, she won her third state track and field championship in the pole vault, setting a new state record in the process. But after playing for her head coach/father at GEHS, her specialty was volleyball. She was The Star’s All-Metro volleyball player and the Kansas Gatorade volleyball player of the year and was selected to play in the Under Armour All-American game.
She also excelled in the classroom, graduating No. 1 in her class of 324. “My dad taught me that you only get out what you put in to life,” she said then. “If you’re willing to go above and beyond, if you’re willing to spend the extra hours in the gym, if you’re willing to sacrifice that time with your friends or go to bed a little early one night, you’ll see the results in the end.”
College: Wait joined the Jayhawks’ volleyball squad as a preferred walk-on and became a mainstay as a libero. She was the first in her uber-athletic family to attend KU: dad (and coach) Darrell was a high jumper for K-State, brother Kyle was a K-State pole vaulter and younger younger sister Kendra — also a former KC Star Scholar-Athlete — plays volleyball at Creighton. Cassie said she enjoys seeing Kendra play and visiting Big Ten cities and catches her games as often as she can.
Sports now: She’s still playing volleyball — on the sand courts in Shawnee — during the summer as time allows. When it’s too cold to play outdoors, she plays in co-ed indoor leagues. She’s also planning a return to coaching volleyball at the club level and stays further connected to sports thanks to Dayton’s role at Blue Valley Northwest: “Through his job,” she said, “I still get to enjoy the Friday night lights.”
PREVIOUS MALE WINNERS
1984: Danny Bellus, Washington
1985: Marlon Washington, Schlagle
1986: Brad Hinkle, Olathe South
1987: Jeff Witkop, Blue Valley North
1988: Jeff Drbohlav, Cass-Midway
1989: Tom Kreamer, SM East
1990: Shaon Fry, Oak Grove
1991: Aaron Hodges, Harmon
1992: Mike Wilson, Center
1993: Nate Minnis, Blue Springs
1994: Matt Mendlick, Olathe South
1995: Steve Fein, SM Northwest
1996: Josh Alpers, Blue Springs
1997: Brandon Wier, Olathe North
1998: Daniel Parris, Lee’s Summit North
1999: Corey Crandall, Fort Osage
2000: Tommy Hottovy, Park Hill South
2001: Jeff Durbin, Olathe South
2002: Justin Dyer, Olathe South
2003: Adam Perkins, Liberty
2004: Larry Hall, Center
2005: Louis Caputo, Blue Springs
2006: Aaron Trigg, Blue Valley West
2007: Scott O’Donnell, Oak Park
2008: Riley Reynolds, Blue Springs South
2009: Rick Settle, Olathe East
2010: Roy Wedge, Lawrence
2011: Aaron Thornburg, SM Northwest
2012: Zach Herriott, Rockhurst
2013: Nathan Butler, Leavenworth
2014: Sam Guinn, Blue Valley Northwest
2015: Dalton Schoen, Blue Valley Northwest
2016: Jacob Bohlken, Smithville
2017: Jacob Boyd, Smithville
2018: Jacob Sykes, Rockhurst
2019: Alex Totta, Blue Valley
2020: Hayden Gregg, Staley
2021: Yaseen El-Demerdash, Blue Valley Southwest
2022: Ryan Thompson, Rockhurst
2023: Carter McIntosh, Blue Springs South
PREVIOUS FEMALE WINNERS
1984: Suzanne Meyer, Center
1985: Angela Cox, Olathe North
1986: Gretchen Prather, Liberty
1987: Tricia Lillygren, Raytown South
1988: Lisa Arel, Lee’s Summit
1989: Melanie Ornes, Lee’s Summit
1990: Amy Fowler, Bishop Miege
1991: Amy Cook, Lansing
1992: Angie Popek, SM Northwest
1993: Lisa Petty, Lawson
1994: Lisa Davies, Oak Grove
1995: Lindsay Thornton, SM West
1996: Kelly Andra, SM Northwest
1997: Elizabeth Baker, Pembroke Hill
1998: Lauren Jackson, North Kansas City
1999: Andrea Tietjen, Excelsior Springs
2000: Katherine Hoffman, Notre Dame de Sion
2001: Shea Swoboda, Winnetonka
2002: Jill Tyner, St. Pius X
2003: Tegan Stuart, Raymore-Peculiar
2004: Toni Picerno, Lee’s Summit
2005: Katie Martincich, Bishop Miege
2006: Erin Birmingham, Park Hill South
2007: Ali Pistora, Tonganoxie
2008: Allison Mayfield, St. Thomas Aquinas
2009: Morgan Johnson, Platte County
2010: Megan Yohe, Liberty
2011: Alexandra Keane, Notre Dame de Sion
2012: Lexie Oak, St. Pius X
2013: Cassie Wait, Gardner Edgerton
2014: Arianna Person, St. James Academy
2015: Dorian Bailey, St. Teresa’s
2016: Jenna Gray, St. James Academy
2017: Carlie Queen, Summit Christian Academy
2018: Kate Walsworth, Barstow
2019: Alana Vawter, Staley
2020: Lexy Farrington, Blue Valley North
2021: Kendra Wait, Gardner Edgerton
2022: Beatrice Culliton, St. Thomas Aquinas
2023: Taylor Cruse, Basehor-Linwood
