Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Ann (Schachtner) Austreng

Name – Ann Schachtner Austreng
UW-Stout graduation year – 2006 Cum Laude Honors
Major – Interior Design with a Business Administration Minor
Sport(s) – Track and Field and Basketball
Years Played – 4 years track and 1 year basketball
Hometown (High School) – Somerset High School
Currently Reside – Somerset, Wis.

 

Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout? 
I was able to continue in a competitive atmosphere and have a whole different experience at the collegiate level.  I was also recruited by the head coaches and they talked to me about competing at Stout. 

What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics? 
I liked being able to continue competing in sports that I enjoyed.  I also enjoyed meeting new people and creating bonds with teammates.
 
What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete? 
Time management and balance in getting all of my school work done while still trying to practice and compete in collegiate sports and still have some fun on the side.

Who was the most influential person in your athletic career? 
Joe Harlan, the head coach at the time

What is your most memorable or favorite sports moment at UW-Stout? 
When I broke the outdoor shot put record and made it to Nationals multiple times.
 
How did your teammates describe you as a person and a student-athlete? 
Competitive, respectful, caring, focused, fun to be around.

Are you in contact with any former Blue Devil student-athletes? (If so, who?)
Yes, I do not stay in touch with as many as I would like but Samantha Strunk Hull, Kristin Becker, Laura Verdegan Knudsen, and Marci Schachtner Meyer are some that I try to connect with every now and then. 

Outside of athletics, what other activities were you involved in at UW-Stout? 
I was in ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and was treasurer.  I was also in the Academic Honors Society and was treasurer.

Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family? 
I graduated in May of 2006 and was working at a small interior design firm in Hudson.  I was married to Bronson Austreng in September of that year.  I left the design firm and started to do some interior design work on my own and was also working at a machine shop here in town.  We had our first daughter, Megan in April of 2010.  In March of 2011, I quit my job and started a daycare out of my home.  We had our second daughter, Elizabeth in November of 2011 and our third daughter, Hannah in February of 2014.  Our life has been busy and full of wonderful memories. 

What was your favorite track and field season, indoor or outdoor? Why? 
Outdoor because I enjoy being outdoors and the shot put is smaller diameter and easier to throw. 

What was it like being on the same team as your cousins Marci and Kelly? 
It was nice to have family on the team.  Marci's strong event was hammer/weight throw and mine was shot put so it was nice we each had our own thing instead of trying to beat each other out each time.  We knew we would beat each other at our own event and we were ok with that.  My four years of eligibility were done by the time Kelly came to Stout.

What was it like competing on the national stage in shot put for so many years?
Lots of pressure to perform and you just hope that everything goes well because at that point, it does not matter how far you have thrown in the past.  All that matters is how you do that day.  Some days it works out and other days it does not.  Nervousness, anxiousness, excitement. . . lot of emotions.  It was fun being able to go to New York for one of the Nationals.  I was the only female to go from Stout.  Lots of wonderful memories.