Gustavus Adolphus College student athletes Hailey Harren (women’s cross country) and Alex Zupan (men’s cross country) have been selected as two of 58 student-athletes from across the country to receive a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for the fall sport season. Harren and Zupan were the only student-athletes from a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference institution selected to receive the $7,500 award this fall.
Over the last three years, Gustavus ranks third (tied with the University of Missouri with ten honorees) for the most postgraduate scholars among all NCAA schools (Division I, II, III). Emory and Stanford have the most postgraduate scholars with 16 each, while Gustavus and Missouri are next with 10 each. Harren and Zupan are the 19th and 20th Gustavus student athletes to receive NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships in the history of the program.
Harren, a native of Cold Spring, Minn., finished eighth at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships last fall after winning the national individual title in 2005. She claimed the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Central Region individual titles this past fall and was named both the MIAC and NCAA Central Region Runner of the Year. A political science and financial economics double major, Harren has compiled a 3.77 cumulative grade point average. She will attend law school next fall. Harren has also been very active in the community working as a Study Buddy at a local elementary school and visiting local nursing homes as a part of the Elders program.
Zupan, a native of Monona, Wis., was a four-year letterwinner on the cross country team serving as the team’s captain his junior and senior seasons. He earned all-conference honors in his sophomore season with an 11th place finish at the MIAC Championships. In his junior season, Zupan earned all-region honors with a 20th place finish at the NCAA Central Region meet. A math and music double major, Zupan ranks #1 in his class academically with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. He was recently named to the USA Today All-Academic Team honoring him as one of the top 60 college students in the country. In addition to his academic and athletic involvement, Alex has also been involved in the community taking part in the Big Partner program where he spent time mentoring a local youth. Zupan will pursue a doctorate in pure mathematics, however he has not yet decided which university he will attend.
The NCAA awarded 58 postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 29 male student-athletes and 29 female student-athletes from all three divisions (I, II, and III) who participated in fall sports. Those sports included men’s and women’s cross country running, football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s water polo, women’s field hockey, women’s equestrian, badminton, and volleyball.
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.