University of Northern Iowa Athletics
McDonnell Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
7/23/2014 1:00:00 AM | Track and Field
University of Northern Iowa senior track and field athlete Adam McDonnell has been awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
McDonnell was a senior captain for the men's track & field program at Northern Iowa and a native of DeWitt, Iowa. He lettered four-straight seasons for UNI, competing in the javelin and hammer throws. He was a 2011 all-conference selection in the javelin, and was an NCAA Preliminary Qualifier in 2012 and 2014 (javelin) and 2012 and 2013 (hammer).
He earned MVC scholar-athlete team honors in 2012, 2013, and 2014 while maintaining a 3.85 grade point average in physical education. He earned the MVC President's Council Academic Excellence Award and was three times a recipient of the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award. McDonnell has earned the UNI Physical Education Major of the Year and was on the UNI Dean's List for nine semesters. Active in the community, McDonnell recently completed his term as President of the UNI Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
Earlier this summer, McDonnell was named the male recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference's Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award. The award criteria is based on academic achievement, athletics excellence and service and leadership.
The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
The one-time grants of $7,500 each are awarded for fall sports, winter sports and spring sports. Each sports season (fall, winter and spring), there are 29 scholarships available for men and 29 scholarships available for women. The scholarships are one-time, non-renewable grants.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership, are evaluated. An equitable approach is employed in reviewing each applicant's nomination form to provide opportunity to all student-athlete nominees to receive the postgraduate award, regardless of sport, division, gender or race. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study in an accredited graduate degree program.
Eligibility is restricted to student-athletes at NCAA member institutions who, in their final year of eligibility, have performed with distinction as members of varsity teams in the sport for which they were nominated. Nominees must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.200 (based on a 4.000 scale), be nominated by the faculty athletics representative or athletics director, and intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a part-time or full-time graduate student.
UNI's Recent NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients
Adam McDonnell (Track & Field) - 2013-14
Jacqui Kalin (Women's Basketball) - 2012-13
Kyle Bernard (Football) - 2012-13
Ben Boothby (Football) - 2011-12
Josh Mahoney (Football) - 2009-10
Mat Clark (Track & Field) - 2009-10
Jill Arganbright (Volleyball) - 2003-04
Players Mentioned
