The NCAA News - News and Features

April 21, 1997

Basketball postgraduate scholarship winners announced

Thirty-two basketball players -- 16 men and 16 women -- at NCAA member institutions have been awarded postgraduate scholarships of $5,000 each.

Of the 32 scholarships, 12 were awarded to Division I student-athletes and 12 to student-athletes in Divisions II and III, and the remaining eight were awarded at large.

In addition to the basketball scholarships, 35 awards have been presented during this academic year to student-athletes in football, and 107 awards (36 for men and 71 for women) will be given to student-athletes in other sports in which the NCAA conducts championships competition. A total of 174 postgraduate scholarships are awarded annually by the Association.

To qualify, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.000 (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 full-time graduate student. In addition, 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.

Following are the accomplishments of the 1996-97 NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners in basketball.

Men's Division I

Douglas William Brandt, Baylor University -- Aviation science major; ranks among school leaders in career points scored and rebounds; recognized as freshman of the year in 1994 by The Associated Press, Waco Tribune-Herald and Houston Chronicle; named Baylor's male scholar-athlete of the year in 1995; two-time first-team GTE Academic All-America; will enter medical school next fall.

John Robert Brannen, Marshall University -- Marketing major; two-time team captain; among Southern Conference leaders this year in points scored, minutes per game, free-throw percentage and three-point field goals; two-time all-Southern Conference selection; National Association of Basketball Coaches all-academic selection; will seek a master's degree in business administration.

Jerod Albert Haase, University of Kansas -- Business administration major; third-team all-Big Twelve Conference selection after earning honorable mention all-Big Eight Conference honors in 1996; has made more than 40 percent of career three-point attempts; scored more than 1,200 career points; 1997 first-team GTE Academic All-America; will pursue a master's degree in business administration.

Sydney Amilcar Johnson, Princeton University -- History major; three-time team captain; has scored more than 1,000 career points; among school leaders in steals, assists and three-point field goals; two-time all-Ivy Group selection; two-time all-Ivy academic choice; minority academic career scholarship winner; plans to enroll in Yale University's Graduate History Program this fall.

Seamus David Lonergan, Dartmouth College -- Chemistry major; Dartmouth's second all-time leading scorer with more than 1,600 points; has led the Big Green in scoring for three straight years; two-time all-Ivy Group selection; three-time all-Ivy academic choice; 1996 first-team GTE Academic All-America and 1997 second-team pick; will play professionally overseas before seeking a medical degree in 1998.

Jade Earl Newburn, Brown University -- Economics and organizational behavior major; has an 80 percent career free-throw percentage; four-time recipient of the Bernard V. Buonanno Jr. award for excellence in academics and athletics; one of two student-athletes on the NCAA Academic Requirements Committee; 1997 USA Today college academic first team; will attend Oxford University this fall before entering law school.

Men's Divisions II and III

Matthew Porter Aune, University of California, San Diego -- Economics major; school's second-leading career scorer with more than 1,800 points; among Division III leaders in scoring and rebounding; has posted more than 30 points and 10 rebounds five times and has averaged nearly 18 points and 12 rebounds per game for his career; plans to play professionally overseas before seeking a postgraduate degree in business.

Jeremy Nicholas Borys, Catholic University -- Psychology major; 1997 Capital Athletic Conference player of the year; has started all but six games during his career and topped the league in scoring as a senior; 1997 first-team GTE Academic All-America; four-time all-CAC academic choice; plans to be a college intern for a year before beginning postgraduate studies in education and social sciences.

Casey Chisholm Chroust, Denison University -- Economics major; 1997 North Coast Athletic Conference player of the year; scored in double figures in all but two games this season and has recorded nine double-doubles; fourth on all-time school scoring chart with more than 1,550 points; four-time all-NCAC selection; two-time GTE Academic All-America; will seek a postgraduate degree in business administration.

David Allen Kruse, Mankato State University -- Biology and history major; 1997 all-North Central Conference forward who ranked among Division II leaders in scoring; started in more than 77 straight games and ranks 11th on Mankato's career scoring chart; a 1997 first-team GTE Academic All-America and three-time NCC all-academic choice; plans to enter medical school in 1998.

Jason Matthew Sempsrott, South Dakota State University -- Engineering physics and electrical engineering major; 1997 North Central Conference player of the year and most valuable player in the North Central regional tournament; was the first player in conference history to lead the league in scoring and assists; two-time NCC all-academic selection; plans to obtain postgraduate degree in electrical engineering.

Eric A. Shaner, St. John Fisher College -- Physics major; school's all-time leader in free-throw percentage and ranks fourth in career three-pointers; will graduate summa cum laude and receive the school's Best Student in Science and Math award; 1997 third-team GTE Academic All-America; voted physics student of the year as a freshman; will pursue a postgraduate degree in electrical engineering this fall.

Men's at large

Matthew Edward Gorman, Johns Hopkins University -- Biology major; a two-time Centennial Conference player of the year; is among all-time school leaders in scoring and has hauled in more than 570 career rebounds; tied a Centennial Conference mark with 21 rebounds in a game in 1996; will begin postgraduate work at the New Jersey University of Medicine and Dentistry this fall.

Todd Eric Hanson, University of Minnesota, Morris -- Economics and business management major; recently broke the school's single-season scoring record; also holds school career marks in scoring, assists and free throws made; three-time all-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference selection; three-time NSIC all-academic choice; plans to begin postgraduate work at the University of Notre Dame law school this fall.

William James Mayew, University of North Carolina, Wilmington --Accounting major; two-time team cocaptain; averaged more than 10 points and five rebounds per game this season; has a career field-goal percentage of better than 50 percent; three-time all-Colonial Athletic Association academic choice; will enroll in North Carolina-Wilmington's master of science and accountancy program.

Geoffrey Tyler Ping, Seattle Pacific University -- Biology major; set school mark with eight three-pointers in a game; also holds school bests in three-point field goals for a season and a career; has made more than 45 percent of career attempts from long range; two-time GTE Academic All-America and three-time all-Pacific West Conference academic choice; intends to begin medical school in 1998.

Men's alternates

James Mann Wherley Jr., Grove City College; Nathan Chris Tumlison, Hendrix College; Benjamin Witwicki Schall, Swarthmore College; Joseph Edward Thompson, West Texas A&M University.

Women's Division I

Kimberly Kay Brandl, Southern Methodist University -- Mathematics major; school's third all-time leading scorer with more than 1,450 points in just three years; also ranks as the school's top free-throw shooter; three-time all-conference pick (twice by the Southwest Conference and once by the Western Athletic Conference); two-time GTE Academic All-America; will pursue a master's degree in business administration.

Kathleen Mary Courtney, College of the Holy Cross -- Mathematics major; 1997 Patriot League player of the year; Patriot League's all-time leader in rebounds, blocked shots and field-goal percentage; among school career scoring leaders with more than 1,500 points; three-time all-Patriot League selection and four time all-Patriot academic choice; 1997 GTE Academic All-America; will begin medical school in 1998.

Jennifer Marie Howard, North Carolina State University -- Mass communications major; holds school and Atlantic Coast Conference three-point marks for most made in a single game, most attempted and best percentage; two-time all-ACC selection; 1997 GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in the university division; will begin postgraduate study in television and video production this fall.

Amy Nicole Langville, Mount St. Mary's College (Maryland) -- Mathematics major; 1997 first-team all-Northeast Conference selection and 1996 NEC player of the year; ranks among school's top 10 in five categories, including assists, blocked shots and steals; two-time GTE Academic All-America and two-time all-NEC academic choice; will seek a master's degree in operations research beginning this fall.

Michelle Gere Palmisano, Vanderbilt University -- Biomedical and electrical engineering major; transferred from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she set school marks in three-pointers in a season and a single game; ranks second in Vanderbilt history in three-pointers made during a season; has earned all-conference honors in both the Pacific-10 and Southeastern Conferences; three-time GTE Academic All-America; will continue postgraduate work in biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt.

Jamila Ann Wideman, Stanford University -- Political science and African-American studies major; one of three Stanford players in history to surpass 400 assists; averaged more than 11 points and five assists per game this year in leading the Cardinal to the Women's Final Four for the second consecutive year; two-time all-Pacific-10 Conference choice; hopes to play professionally before enrolling in law school.

Women's Divisions II and III

Rhonda Kay Birch, North Dakota State University -- Nursing major; starting point guard for Bison teams that won three straight Division II championships; ranks as the school's third leading three-point shooter and was the North Central Conference's top three-point shooter in 1997; an all-NCC academic pick, Birch will continue her studies in nursing in graduate school.

Carrie Eileen Ferguson, Capital University -- Psychology major; 1997 Kodak Division III All-American who helped lead Capital to two Division III championship titles and an appearance in this year's national semifinals; ranks among top five in three school career categories, including scoring and rebounding; 1997 first-team GTE Academic All-America; will seek postgraduate study in school psychology.

Marian LeAnn Freeland, University of Southern Indiana -- Elementary education major; named Division II player of the year in 1995 by College Sports magazine; two-time all-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection and GLVC player of the year in 1995; two-time Kodak Division II All-American; 1997 first-team GTE Academic All-America; will pursue a master's degree in education.

Jennifer Anne Krolikowski, New York University -- Mathematics and mechanical engineering major; school's all-time leading scorer; helped the Violets claim this year's Division III championship; her jumper in the waning moments tied the championship game and set the stage for her team's dramatic victory; two-time all-University Athletic Association selection; will seek a postgraduate degree in business administration.

Erika Kathleen Schmidt, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire -- Biology major; three-time all-Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference choice and 1997 player of the year; helped lead this year's team to the Division III championship game and was named to the all-tournament team; all-WWIAC academic selection; will pursue a postgraduate degree in physical therapy.

Jessica Louise Turgon, Marymount University (Virginia) -- Political science major; holds school season and career records in points and rebounds; two-time all-Capital Athletic Conference selection and 1995 player of the year; averaged more than 15 points and eight rebounds per game during her career; plans to obtain a master's degree in business administration.

Women's at large

Amy Elizabeth Carter, Emory University -- Biology and chemistry major; school record-holder in assists, steals and three-point field goals; two-time University Athletic Association honorable-mention selection; also a first-team all-American in soccer and a two-time team captain; plans to enroll at the University of Alabama School of Medicine this summer.

Renae Julia Fegent, University of Oregon -- Sociology and psychology major; ranks among school leaders in scoring and blocked shots; has a better than 50 percent career field-goal percentage; two-time all-Pacific-10 Conference center; named to Oregon's all-decade team in 1996; 1996 Pac-10 all-academic choice; intends to continue postgraduate work in sociology.

Andrea Lynn Kagie, University of San Francisco -- Mathematics and chemistry major; a prominent figure in San Francisco's record books, Kagie has broken or tied 10 school career records, including three-pointers scored in a game and in a season; 1997 first-team all-West Coast Conference selection and all-WCC academic pick; intends to pursue a postgraduate degree in applied chemical engineering.

Danielle Marie Viglione, University of Texas at Austin -- Kinesiology/
premedicine major; holds school records in free-throw percentage and career three-point field goals made; all-Southwest Conference selection in 1996 and third-team all-Big Twelve Conference pick in 1997; set NCAA freshman record with 115 three-pointers in 1994; plans to enter medical school and specialize in sports medicine.

Women's alternates

Sandra Lynn Zwach, Augustana College (South Dakota); Jennifer Robyn Gross, University of California, Davis; Emily Kathy Bieser, Trinity University (Texas); Angela Sue Halbleib, University of Kansas.