Pilakowski Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

Lincoln - Nebraska volleyball/basketball player Laura Pilakowski has earned one of the NCAA's most prestigious academic honors with her selection as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winner for 2003, the NCAA announced on March 5.

Pilakowski was one of 58 student-athletes across all NCAA (Divisions I, II and III) fall sports (men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, football, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo) and one of 29 female student-athletes to claim the $6,900 scholarship.  She was the only female student-athlete at a Big 12 Conference institution to claim the award.

Pilakowski, a senior from Columbus, Neb., owns a 3.957 grade-point average as a marketing major, while also starring for the Huskers on both an outside hitter on the volleyball court and a forward on the basketball court.  The two-time volleyball All-American and three-time Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American in volleyball, joined the women's basketball team for the first time on Jan. 1, 2003, and has played in 17 games with three starts, averaging more than five points and five rebounds per game despite not participating in the sport since her senior season at Columbus High School in 1998-99.

To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.200 (on a 4.000 scale) or its equivalent and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics. The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.

Nomination forms are sent to faculty athletics representatives for fall sports in September, for winter sports in late November and for spring sports in February. Selections are made three times each academic year. The application must be submitted during the appropriate seasonal category for the sport. Candidates are screened by seven regional selection committees, and the winners are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

In addition to the fall sport honorees, the NCAA also awards 116 postgraduate scholarships to student-athletes participating in winter and spring sports in which the NCAA conducts championships, for a total of 174 postgraduate scholarships annually.