Gustavus Adolphus College student athletes Melissa Mackley (ice hockey), David Martinson (ice hockey), and Bri Radtke (basketball) have been selected to receive postgraduate scholarships from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Mackley, Martinson, and Radtke are among a group of 58 student athletes that compete in a winter sport in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III to receive a $7,500 postgraduate scholarship. Gustavus was one of only four institutions in the entire NCAA (the others were Emory University, Stanford University, and the University of Georgia) to have three student athletes receive scholarships this winter.
Since the start of the 2004-05 academic year, Gustavus ranks third for the most postgraduate scholars among all NCAA schools (Divisions I, II, and III). With 20 postgraduate scholars during that timespan, Gustavus ranks behind Stanford University (33) and Emory University (29). Gustavus has had a total of 30 student athletes receive NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships since football player James Goodwin became the first in 1974.
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.
The NCAA awarded 58 postgraduate scholarships to 29 male student-athletes and 29 female student-athletes from all three divisions (I, II, and III) who participated in winter sports. Those sports included men’s and women’s basketball, men’s fencing, women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s ice hockey, women’s skiing, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, and men’s wrestling.
A native of Burnsville, Minn., Mackley was a four-year regular as a forward for the Gustavus women’s hockey team and a First Team All-America honoree in both 2009 and 2010. She completed her career ranked ninth all-time at Gustavus in career points with 33 points and 69 assists for 102 points. Mackley played in all 114 games the Gusties played during her career, which ranks second all-time and her 69 career assists rank fourth all-time. In the 2009-10 season, Mackley scored a career high 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists) and was captain of a Gustavus squad that finished fourth at the NCAA Championships and compiled a record of 22-6-2 overall.
A Phi Beta Kappa honoree, Mackley is a biology major with a 3.96 grade point average. She is a three-time academic all-conference selection and a 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree and will pursue a medical degree at the University of Minnesota. In addition to her success on the rink and in the classroom, Mackley has been active on campus serving as an officer Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society and as a mentor with the Diversity Peer Mentor program. She also took part in Habitat for Humanity, Feed My Starving Children, Relay for Life, and Re-Build Together.
The 2010 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Division III Player of the Year, David Martinson was a three-year standout for the Gustavus men’s hockey team. The 6-0, 190-pound native of St. Louis Park, MN, helped the Gusties claim their first regular season title since 1993 with a league mark of 12-2-2.
Martinson, the Player of the Year in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), earned first team All-American status this season after
leading the MIAC in scoring with 23 goals, 13 assists for 36 points. Nationally, he led the NCAA with 1.04 goals per game (29 goals in 29 games) and ranked fifth in points per game at 1.69 with 49 points in 29 games. Martinson compiled 76 goals and 55 assists for 131 points in 85 career contests. His 0.89 career goals per game average ranks third all-time at Gustavus and his 1.54 career points per game ranks fourth all-time at Gustavus.
In the classroom, Martinson is an honor student compiling a cumulative grade point average 3.75 with a major in accounting. He is a three-time academic all-conference selection and a 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree who is planning to spend a couple of years in the accounting industry and then pursue a master’s degree in business administration.
Radtke, the 2010 MIAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and two-time All-Conference honoree, led the Gusties to a share of the MIAC Regular Season title with an 18-4 record. She tied for the MIAC lead with 4.41 assists per game and was fifth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 1.76. Radtke, a native of Lester Prairie, Minn., also ranked 18th in the league in scoring with an average of 11.0 points per game, ninth in field goal percentage at 47.3 percent (87-184) and 11th in free throw percentage at 80.9 percent (55-68). A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter, Radtke played in 108 consecutive games tying the school record for career games played. She also finished near the top of several other career statistical categories including second in assists with 372, and 10th in steals with 164.
In addition to her strong performance on the court, Radtke is also a standout in the classroom and very active in the community. Academically, Radtke is a health fitness major with a 3.94 cumulative grade point average. She is a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree and a 2010 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. In the community, she has volunteered regularly at the Pheasant’s Ridge Assisted Living Center in the memory care unit as well as working with a local high school basketball player who was recovering from cancer by designing a wellness and strength program.