Senior Jack Henkemeyer, a native of Plymouth, Minn., and a six-time All-Conference selection as a sprinter for the Gustavus men’s indoor track and field team, has been selected as one of 58 student-athletes from across the country to receive a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Henkemeyer was the only student-athlete (male or female) from a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference institution selected to receive the $7,500 award in a winter sport. Henkemeyer is the 16th student athlete from Gustavus to receive a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship since 1974.
Henkemeyer has excelled on the track, setting three school records during the indoor season including the 400 meter run with a time of 49.50, as a member of the 4 x 200 meter relay with a time of 2:30.67 and as a member of the 4 x 400 meter relay with a time of 3:24.31. Henkemeyer was a member of the conference champion 4 x 200 meter relay team at the MIAC Indoor Championships in 2003 as well as a member of the conference champion 4 x 400 relay team at the MIAC Indoor Championships in 2004. Individually, he finished second at the MIAC Indoor Championships in the 55 meter dash in 2005, as well as finishing third in both the 200 and 400 meter dashes in 2004. This past March, Henkemeyer placed sixth in the 55 meters, fifth in the 200 meters, and sixth in the 400 meters at the MIAC Indoor Championships. While Henkemeyer received his NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for his efforts in indoor track and field he has also been a standout during the outdoor season earning all-conference honors four different times as a member of the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 meter relay teams.
In the classroom, Henkemeyer boasts a 3.82 grade point average with a double major in political science and psychology. He is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Honor Society for political science as well as Psi Chi, the National Honor Society for psychology. He is also a finalist for student of the year in both the political science and psychology departments. He spent the fall semester of 2004 studying in Ireland.
Henkemeyer has also been active in both the Gustavus and St. Peter communities. He has volunteered at the local animal shelter as a pound pal taking care of orphaned animals for past four years and he has also been a member of the Gustavus Student Athlete Advisory board this past year. After graduation, Henkemeyer plans to pursue a master’s degree in international relations at Aberystwyth University in Wales.
The NCAA has awarded 58 postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 28 male student-athletes and 28 female student-athletes who participated in winter sports, which included women’s archery (emerging sport), men’s and women’s basketball, women’s bowling, men’s and women’s fencing, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s rifle men’s and women’s skiing, women’s squash (emerging sport), men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s team handball (emerging sport), men’s and women’s indoor track and field, and men’s wrestling.
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 also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a graduate student.