Schnell earns NCAA winter sport postgraduate scholarship
INDIANAPOLIS – UNCG women's track athlete
Ashley
Schnell is one of 58 student-athletes nationally to earn one of
the NCAA's winter sports postgraduate scholarships, the
organization announced recently.
Twenty-nine male winter sport student-athletes and 29 female
winter sport student-athletes earned the scholarships, which are
worth $7,500 each. Similar awards are given each year to fall and
spring student-athletes, totaling 174 individual winners.
To qualify, student-athletes must excel academically and
athletically, be in their final year of eligibility and plan to
pursue graduate study. Student-athletes must also maintain at least
a 3.2 grade-point average and be nominated by their institution's
faculty athletics representative.
A two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection and a third-team
Capital One Academic All-American, Schnell graduated with a 4.0 GPA
in musical performance. She was the Southern Conference's Student
Athlete of the Week three times during the 2011-12 academic year
and earned the league's Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship.
The Lincoln, Neb., native intends to continue her studies in
musical performance by enrolling in graduate school in the
fall.
Schnell, who starred for the Spartans in cross country and indoor
and outdoor track, concluded her career at the NCAA East
Preliminary Round in outdoor track last week.
In indoor track this season, the redshirt senior won SoCon titles
in the mile and the distance medley relay, setting league records
in both events.
The most decorated female runner in school history, Schnell was
the SoCon cross country champion in both 2010 and 2011, taking home
SoCon Runner of the Year honors each season. In 2011, she became
the first female runner in school history to qualify for the NCAA
Cross Country Championships, missing All-America honors by just 16
seconds, and helped UNCG to its first-ever SoCon team title.
In outdoor track, Schnell won SoCon titles in the 1,500 meters in
each of the last two years.
She finished her career with 10 school records across cross
country, indoor track and outdoor track.
- UNCG -