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Wendy's High School Heisman National Award Winners Named for 2008

The two winners were chosen from nearly 34,000 applicants across the country throughout the local, state and national levels:

* Kathy Kroeger, of Independence High School,Franklin, Tenn., is an All-State Cross-Country and Track & Field runner, has set state records for both sports and is ranked No. 1 in her class. In addition to excelling academically as a National Merit Semifinalist and receiving Student of the Year honors in two classes, Kathy has lettered in Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field and Cross-Country.

* Brett Leibowitz, of the Meadows School inLas Vegas, Nev., is a three-year Varsity letter winner in Football and Basketball and is ranked in the top one percent of his class. Brett continues his leadership activities off the field by serving as president of the Las Vegas Founders Group, and he has won numerous academic awards, including the Harvard Book Club prize and was named a National AP scholar.

Kroeger and Leibowitz were selected from an exceptional group of national finalists, made up of six male and six female students from six U.S. regions, representing a wide range of sports and extracurricular interests. The award ceremony will air on ESPN2, Sunday, Dec. 14, at 6:30 p.m. EST.

"The Wendy's High School Heisman program is a stepping stone towards higher achievement in school and community leadership," said Archie Griffin, two-time collegiate Heisman winner and program spokesperson. "We're thrilled to welcome Kathy and Brett into an elite family of Wendy's High School Heisman winners, and there's no doubt that they'll have a successful college career and accomplish great things in the years to come."

The winners' accomplishments, in the classroom, in their community and on the field are impressive. Aside from her No. 1 class ranking, for three consecutive years Kroeger has been named the Most Valuable Player on her Cross-Country and Track & Field team while holding down All-State recognition in both sports and settingTennessee cross country and Track records. She holds a leadership position within the Independence High School Student Council and is active with the St. Andrew Lutheran Church Youth Group and within her community.

In addition to varsity sports, Leibowitz still finds time to dedicate himself to the Las Vegas Youth Division, maintains a leadership position at the Surfrider Foundation and works with several non-profit environmental organizations aimed at protecting wildlife and nature. In the classroom, he's also a three-year member of the Meadow Academic Society and was named a National AP Scholar.

This year's two national winners each receive a crystal Wendy's High School Heisman trophy, a $10,000 donation to their high schools and recognition during the collegiate Heisman ceremony inNew York City on Saturday, Dec. 13.

    The other 10 Wendy's High School Heisman national finalists that deserve
recognition:



    Name        Gender   High School                      City     State

    Kathy Kroeger  F     Independence High School         Franklin   TN
    Lauren Kuhn    F     Weatherwax High School           Aberdeen   WA
    Melanie                                               High
     Thompson      F     Voorhees High School             Bridge     NJ
    Laura Bellamy  F     Denfeld High School              Duluth     MN
    Irene Kalbian  F     Cheshire High School             Cheshire   CT
    Elizabeth
     Marden        F     Olathe East High School          Olathe     KS
    Brett
     Leibowitz     M     The Meadows School               Las Vegas  NV
    Joseph Tipton  M     Maryville High School            Maryville  TN
    Daniel Jones   M     Goddard Senior High School       Wichita    KS
    Joseph Rigby   M     Suffield High School             Suffield   CT
    Michael Bass   M     Fairmont High School             Fairmont   NC
    Tylor Gauger   M     Kokomo High School South Campus  Kokomo     IN

2008 Wendy's High School Heisman National Finalists:

Created in 1994 by Wendy's and the Heisman Memorial Trust, the Wendy's High School Heisman Award recognizes outstanding high-school seniors nationwide who excel in athletics, academics and in the community. Students can now self-nominate for the award online, in addition to being recommended by principals, teachers, guidance counselors and coaches. The most exceptional students are then selected to advance during extensive judging processes conducted at both state and national levels.

NOTE: To view photos and bios of this year's national winners and finalists, as well as photos from Heisman weekend, please visit http://www.WendysHeisman.com.

Wendy's International Overview

Wendy's International is one of the world's most successful restaurant operating and franchising companies with more than 6,600 restaurants worldwide. Wendy's is a member of the Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. More information is available at http://www.wendys.com, or http://www.wendysarbys.com.

The Wendy's name and design, and the Wendy's High School Heisman and design are trademarks of Oldemark LLC and are licensed to Wendy's International, Inc. The Heisman name and Heisman Trophy statuette are registered trademarks of the Heisman Trophy Trust, used with permission.

     Contact:  Denny Lynch
               Wendy's
               (614) 764-3553

               Michael Shriner
               Ketchum Public Relations
               (312) 228-6933
               (614) 946-6698
               michael.shriner@ketchum.com

SOURCE Wendy's International