Bolger Earns NCAA Scholarship
MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/17/16)—Former Concordia men's basketball player Jordan Bolger (Apple Valley, Minn.) was awarded one of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships for the winter sports season as announced by the NCAA Office.
Bolger is one of just 29 male student/athletes from NCAA Division I, II or III to earn the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for the winter term.
Bolger becomes the 10th Cobber student/athlete in the past 13 years to win the scholarship. He is the first men's basketball recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for Concordia. He follows on the heels of women's soccer player Laura Prosinski who received the award in the fall of 2015.
The NCAA awards 58 postgraduate scholarships to 29 men and 29 women who participated in winter sports, which include basketball, fencing, gymnastics, ice hockey, indoor track and field, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving and wrestling.
Bolger earned his degree from Concordia earlier in the spring. He completed his course work with a 3.64 grade point average while majoring in Biology and Mathematics. Bolger has been accepted into dental school at the University of Minnesota and will begin classes starting in the fall.
In addition to the winter sport honorees, the NCAA also awards postgraduate scholarships to student-athletes participating in fall and spring sports in which the NCAA conducts championships or is an emerging sport, for a total of 174 postgraduate scholarships annually.
To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 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 must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics. The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.
The NCAA scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
Bolger finished his career as one of the most decorated players in program history. He became the first player in school history to earn National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-American First Team honors and also be named as a finalist for the Jostens Division III Player of the Year award. Bolger was also the first player in program history to play in the NABC Division III All-Star game held in conjunction with the Division III national championship game in Salem, Va.
In addition to the two top athletic honors and his all-star game appearance, Bolger was named the NABC West District Player of the Year and earned NABC All-District and D3hoops.com All-Region First Team honors.
His unbelievable senior award season began when he was named the Joe Hutton MIAC Most Valuable Player as well as earning his third straight MIAC All-Conference award. Bolger was also the team's selection to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team and claimed MIAC Player of the Week honors twice during the season.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership are evaluated. An equitable approach is employed in reviewing an applicant's nomination form to provide all student-athlete nominees an opportunity to receive the postgraduate award, regardless of sport, division, gender or race. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study.
Concordia NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients
2016 – Jordan Bolger – Men's Basketball
2015 - Laura Prosinski - Women's Soccer
2011 - Erika Swenson - Women's Soccer
2009 - Levi DeVries - Football
2008 - Melanie Hageman - Women's Basketball
2006 - Natalie Hanson - Women's Track and Field
2006 - Angie Pfeiffer - Women's Track and Field
2004 - Nick Myran - Men's Cross Country
2004 - Jordan Talge - Football
2004 - Jessica Walden - Volleyball