Now in its 20th year, The Free Press Academic Excellence team has traditionally been a veritable who’s who among area scholars.

This year’s edition certainly does not disappoint.

With a total of 20 winners from large and small schools in the area, the accomplishments are numerous and the potential is extraordinary.

This year’s winners share a mean grade-point average of 4.1 and an average ACT score of more than 33. Among them are eight National Merit Scholarship finalists and at least a dozen members of the National Honor Society.

Le Sueur-Henderson’s Matthew Pfarr won a state wrestling title in addition to his numerous academic successes. Mankato Loyola’s Rachael Hovland made it past the finalist stage and actually won a prestigious National Merit Scholarship. New Ulm’s Patrick Groebner is already halfway done with his accounting degree from South Central College and New Ulm Cathedral’s Brady Waibel earned A’s in summer science courses at Yale.

Le Sueur-Henderson’s Andrew Smith, who is this year’s $1,000 scholarship winner from the area small schools, will attend the University of Chicago in the fall. The large-school scholarship winner, John Zehnder of Mankato East, will study Chinese and biochemistry at Grinnell College.

All winners were honored during a Wednesday banquet. Minnesota State University Provost Scott Olson was the keynote speaker.

Olson told the students that as they enter college they will need to be open to viewing information from different perspectives, even those they may not be comfortable with, or believe in.

Olson told the students their academic success is more than an individual accomplishment, it is an asset to the community.

“You may think we are here to honor you, but it is you who honor us with your achievements,” Olson said.

At A Glance

Here is how The Free Press Academic Excellence Team is chosen:

— Five large schools — Mankato East, Mankato West, New Ulm, St. Peter and Waseca — nominate five students.

— All other area schools nominate three students.

— Team members are selected based on a formula that takes into account students’ grade-point averages and college entrance exam scores.