Two Huskers Earn NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships

Lincoln ? A pair of University of Nebraska student-athletes were honored on Wednesday, as Daniel Bruce and Gitte Ostermann were chosen for NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. The pair were among 59 student-athletes covering 14 spring sports who received a $7,500 scholarship to continue their educational endeavors.

Bruce was a four-year starter in baseball, helping the Huskers to a pair of College World Series appearances, including this spring. The Omaha native hit a career-high .322 with 22 doubles in helping the Huskers to a school-record 57 wins and the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. A four-year starter, Bruce hit .294 in 245 games and tied for second in school history with 55 doubles, one off the school mark. In the classroom, Bruce carried a 3.86 GPA and was a second-team academic All-American and Nebraska Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Bruce, who won a Big 12 Postgraduate Scholarship earlier this month, was one of only three Division I baseball players to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Ostermann led the Husker women’s tennis team to record heights in 2005. A first-team All-Big 12 performer, she was the Midwest Regional Senior Player of the Year and earned a bid to the NCAA Championships, compiling a 17-4 singles mark. Ostermann’s efforts paced the Huskers to a 19-3 record and the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance this spring. She finished her career tied for fourth on NU’s career win list with 121 combined singles and doubles victories. Ostermann completed her degree in advertising in December with a 3.80 undergraduate GPA and owns a 3.67 GPA as a graduate student.

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

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 at NCAA member institutions in August for fall sports, in November for winter sports and in January for spring sports. 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 award recipients are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.