Catch up with past KC Star Scholar-Athlete winners and see what they’re up to now
As The Star honors its 2019 Scholar-Athletes, we also check in with the winners from a decade earlier.
We caught up with Morgan Johnson, a former Platte County basketball and volleyball player, and Rick Settle, a former Olathe East quarterback and all-state outfielder.
MORGAN JOHNSON
Platte County
Residence: Indianapolis
Currently: After completing school at the Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine, Johnson moved to Indianapolis last week to begin her residency.
Family: “Just my dog,” she said. Johnson has an Australian Shepherd named Oliver.
High school: It’s a lengthy resume. Johnson led Platte County to the Missouri Class 4 girls basketball state championship. She graduated as the Pirates’ all-time leader in scoring, rebounding and blocks, earning The Star’s All-Metro player of the year honors.
“It had been a goal of ours for several years, and that’s what made it so special,” Johnson said. “A lot of us had been teammates since middle school.”
There’s more. In volleyball, she was also a two-time all-state player. Academically, she was No. 1 in her class, with a 4.0 grade-point average.
College: Where should we start? Johnson forever inked her name in Iowa women’s basketball history, breaking a few school records and placing among its top 10 in virtually every major statistical category. She established new program marks in blocks, career games played and career starts, never missing a game during her four-year career with the Hawkeyes.
And she was productive, too. Johnson ranks fourth in program history in rebounds and ninth in all-time scoring.
“I loved, loved, loved my time there,” she said. “It was just as hard as I expected, and I was just has busy as I expected doing pre-med and college sports. But that’s kind of how I thrive.”
Sports now: No more competitive basketball, she says. “It hurts my joints too much.” But she will occasionally lace up her shoes for a recreational men’s league game.
RICK SETTLE
Olathe East
Residence: Fort Worth, Texas
Currently: In line with his studies at Texas Christian, Settle works for Luther King Capital Management Headwater, a private equity firm that facilitates growth in small businesses.
Family: Settle has a longtime girlfriend. He recently became an uncle for the first time.
High school: The letterman’s jacket ran out of space. Settle earned four letters in baseball, three in football and even one in bowling. He also ranked atop a class of 511 with his 4.75 weighted grade-point average.
In baseball, he was voted all-state as an outfielder. In football, he played on both sides of the ball — quarterback and defensive back — and was named an all-Sunflower League player. He was also president of the National Honor Society.
College: Settle backed up NFL quarterback Andy Dalton at TCU, which certainly limited his playing time. He ran for his only college touchdown during a game in 2011. He played through his junior year before taking an internship with LKCM as a senior, officially hanging up his cleats. While he was at TCU, the Horned Frogs reached the Fiesta Bowl, their first BCS bowl game. A year later, they beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl to cap an unbeaten season.
“My college sports career was not very illustrious and was a humbling experience for me personally,” Settle said. “But I look back on it, and I still leveraged learning moments that parallel the work I’m in now. I still apply the same grit and grind every day in what I do.”
Sports now: The trips to the gym remain a regular part of life. But given that his job requires travel across the country, it allows little time for organized team sports.
Previous boys 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
Previous girls 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
This story was originally published June 9, 2019 at 5:00 AM.