Skinner, Syljebeck, Oliver and Zaniea Honored as WHAC Impact Award Recipients

HOWELL, Mich. - Four longtime contributors to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) were honored as WHAC Impact Award recipients. The award, established in 2022, honors a coach, administrator, or staff member with a minimum of 10 years in the WHAC who has impacted the conference through positive engagement. Those four winners include: Jeanne Skinner (Volleyball official and assignor), Sue Syljebeck (Siena Heights), Scott Oliver (Siena Heights) and Kim Zaniea (Cornerstone).

Jeanne Skinner:
Jeanne has an extensive history with the WHAC as both a volleyball official and a long-time assignor of officials. Jeanne has spent over 40 years officiating various levels of volleyball and could often be seen at games in the Grand Rapids area. In addition to her officiating duties, she has spent over 15 years as the volleyball assignor for the WHAC, covering both men's and women's volleyball. Highly engaged in this role, Jeanne also served as the assignor for the MIAA, GLIAC and Crossroads League during her career. We thanks Jeanne for her years of service to the game of volleyball and the WHAC.

Sue Syljebeck:
Sue has dedicated 22 years to Siena heights as both a coach and an administrator. In 2020 she was named the Athletic Director and transitioned to VP of athletics in 2024. As a coach, Sue led the Saints to seven NAIA tournaments and a round of 16 appearance. She has the most career wins in program history with a record of 386-233 with 231 wins coming in WHAC play. Sue has also served the WHAC in various capacities during her tenure including a number of committees and sport liaison assignments, helping to serve and guide the conference over the years. We thank Sue for her years of service to Siena Heights and the WHAC.

Scott Oliver:
Scott has spent over 20 seasons as the head coach of the Siena Heights Women's Soccer program. He led the team to four WHAC regular season championships and five tournament titles during his tenure. He's responsible for over half the total wins in SHU women's soccer history, earning his 300th career win this season. He was named the WHAC Coach of the Year on two different occasions. Scott has also served as a national tournament committee member and a national rater for the conference. He has also been instrumental on the administrative side, serving as an assistant SID and an Assistant Athletic Director during his tenure with the Saints. We thank Scott for his years of service to Siena Heights and the WHAC. 

Kim Zaniea:
Kim has been a constant presence at Cornerstone in a variety of roles for over 30 years. During her tenure, Kim has served as an associate professor, an softball coach and a Faculty Athletic Representative all while keeping the students at the center of what she does. She twice earned WHAC Coach of the Year honors in 1999 and 2002 and has been a long-time assistant coach for the Golden Eagles. Kim has spent years as the FAR and as a member of the WHAC Administrative Council. We thank her for her years of service to Cornerstone and the WHAC.

All-Time Impact Award Winners

2022 – Jim Farrell, Cornerstone
2023 – Larry Bos, WHAC
2024 -  Ryan Wronkowicz, Lourdes
2025 - John Kolasinski, Siena Heights
2026 - Jeanne Skinner, Sue Syljebeck (Siena Heights), Kim Zainea (Cornerstone), Scott Oliver (Siena Heights)