Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — May
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Hawkeye seniors Loxley Keala (volleyball) and Alex Meyer (wrestling) were chosen as the University of Iowa’s recipients of the annual Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarship. Two students competing in intercollegiate athletics from each of the 14 Big Ten institutions who plan to continue their education at a graduate degree program were each awarded a $7,500 scholarship, based on primarily academic achievements.
In just two years with the program, Keala became one of eight players in program history to record 2,000 or more assists. She earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors her senior season, becoming Iowa’s first All-Big Ten selection since 2001. The Kaneohe, Hawaii, native ranks seventh all-time in the Hawkeye record books with 2,459 career assists. Keala finished her senior season with six double-doubles. Overall, she had two matches with more than 60 assists, 13 contests with 40-plus assists, and 22 matches with 30-plus assists. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2016.
Meyer, a Pleasant Hill, Iowa, native, posted an overall record of 26-9 and a Big Ten record of 7-2 in 2016-17. He recorded career bests in major decisions (8) and technical falls (5), and placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships at 174 pounds to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. Meyer was an All-American for the Hawkeyes in 2016, reaching as high as No. 3 in the national polls. He had a perfect 9-0 Big Ten record his junior season, recording a career high 27 victories. He is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and a two-time member of the National Wrestling Coaches Associations All-Academic team. He recorded 89 wins in his four-year career, and he graduated in December with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry and a Bachelor of Science in human physiology.
Each Big Ten institution developed its own on-campus selection process when awarding the scholarship. Students must have maintained at least a 3.2 grade-point-average, demonstrated leadership qualities, served as an excellent role model and intended to continue their academic work beyond their baccalaureate degree at a graduate degree program.
The scholarship will be used to pay expenses of the student’s postgraduate education to include such related activities as research and teaching, as well as other expenses such as tuition, fees, room and board, required course-related supplies and books. In order to retain the scholarship, the recipient must be accepted into a full-time graduate degree program within three years from the fall semester after selection.
The complete list of 2016-17 Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipients include:
Illinois
Alia Abu-Douleh, Women’s Soccer
Aaron Wilks, Men’s Track and Field
Indiana
Austin Foote, Baseball
Mollie Getzfread, Field Hockey
Iowa
Loxley Keala, Women’s Volleyball
Alex Meyer, Wrestling
Maryland
Charde’ Barnes, Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country
Tayler Stiles, Baseball
Michigan
Eliza Stein, Field Hockey
Cameron Stitt, Men’s Swimming
Michigan State
Nicola Deans, Field Hockey
Andrew Herr, Men’s Soccer
Minnesota
Bailey Abernathy, Women’s Gymnastics
Michael Kroells, Wrestling
Nebraska
Eric Coufal, Wrestling
Jennie Laeng, Women’s Gymnastics
Northwestern
Julia Abelsky, Fencing
Cooper Wetherbee, Baseball
Ohio State
Christian “Christy” Blough, Men’s Volleyball
Lindsay Agnew, Women’s Soccer
Penn State
Casey Francis, Women’s Swimming
Geno Morelli, Wrestling
Purdue
Jon McKeeman, Men’s Basketball
Christa Szalach, Women’s Soccer
Rutgers
Patrick McCabe, Men’s Lacrosse
Sarah Regn, Field Hockey
Wisconsin
Sara Novak, Softball
Alexander Idarrada, Men’s Rowing
