University News
Baumgartner Earns Sears Directors' Cup Postgraduate Scholarship
May 21, 2001
MACOMB, IL - Western Illinois University student trainer Laurie Baumgartner has been named one of 16 winners of the Sears Directors' Cup Postgraduate Scholarship Awards. She was chosen from 47 overall finalists, including 17 finalists from Division I institutions.
Baumgartner, a Troy, IL native, recently graduated from WIU with a perfect 4.0 grade point average in physical education/athletic training. She is one of only three recipients to have recorded a 4.0 GPA.
Baumgartner received two scholarships during her education at Western Illinois University. She was a co-recipient of the Larry Derry Athletic Training Scholarship and was also the recipient of the Alumni Scholarship through the WIU physical education department. She was a member of the national Dean's List and WIU's Dean's every semester since Fall 1998 and a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Epsilon Sigma honor societies. She was also a member of the Student Athletic Trainers' Association.
Baumgartner served as a student trainer at WIU since Spring 1999. She also worked with the medical staff at the Prairie State Games in 1999 and 2000, served as a Special Olympics Coach in 1999 and served as a volunteer for various research projects, including a VO2 Max test at a convention held at WIU in Spring 2000.
Her public service accomplishments include working with Toys For Tots, Jump Rope for Heart and with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. She has also volunteered with the physical education department's annual alumni fund raising phone-a-thon.
Four students from each division (NCAA Divisions I, II and III and NAIA) were selected as postgraduate scholarship winners from 179 nominees. Each winner will receive a $5,000 grant to be used toward postgraduate studies. The winners will receive their awards at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics' (NACDA) 36th annual convention, to be held June 10-13 in Salt Lake City, UT. The award ceremony will be held June 12.
The scholarships are open to students from the categories of academic support, athletic trainers, band members, equipment personnel, facility managers, sports information and student coaches. All applicants were required to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale), have senior status, have demonstrated leadership qualities at the institution or community level and have played an active role in one of the support categories.
Other 2001 winners from the Division I level were Kathryn Jordan (Maryland), Cindy Masters (Tennessee) and Jay Snow (Missouri).
Whitney Cassens, who was also an athletic trainer at WIU, was a recipient of one of the NACDA postgraduate scholarships last year.
Posted By: WIU Athletics (SID@wiu.edu)
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