Two Huskers Named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars

The Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday that 914 students - including Kadie Rolfzen and Sydney Townsend of the Nebraska volleyball team - have earned the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award. The list includes students from all 14 institutions and 38 different sports who have recorded a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year.

Rolfzen, an advertising & public relations major from Papillion, posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in her junior season, making her one of 147 student-athletes who maintained a perfect GPA during the academic term. She was also a first-team All-American on the court while leading the Huskers to their fourth national championship.

Townsend, a Lincoln Pius X graduate, earned a 3.718 GPA majoring in chemistry. Both Townsend and Rolfzen were also academic All-Big Ten selections last season.

Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Similar to the Academic All-Big Ten honor, Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must be letterwinners in at least their second academic year at their institution. However, the Distinguished Scholar Award encompasses only students with a minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, excluding summer school. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student’s academic career.

A complete list of the 2015-16 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award recipients is attached as a PDF.