April 23, 2013
- Read the April issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Hawkeye seniors Javier Balboa and Sarah Drake were chosen as Iowa’s nominees for the 2013 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award earlier this month. The award is an annual scholarship recognizing one male and one female Big Ten Conference senior student-athlete pursuing a postgraduate degree for achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and leadership. Two student-athletes from the University of Nebraska – Katelyn White and Sean Fisher – were chosen as the 2013 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award recipients by the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership.
Balboa earned his first All-America honors last weekend, placing sixth in the all-around and eighth on the still rings at the NCAA Championships. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, he is Iowa’s first all-around All-American and the first to earn All-America honors in multiple events since Michael Reavis in 2005. The 2013 Big Ten still rings champion and first team All-Big Ten honoree, Balboa is a three-time Dean’s List student, a two-time academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time UI President’s Committee on Athletics medallion winner. He earned Iowa’s Dick Holzaepfel Most Valuable Gymnast honor in 2012, and will graduate with a B.A. in economics in May.
|
Senior Sarah Drake |
Drake started all 77 games she played in for the Hawkeye field hockey team. The forward from Ann Arbor, Mich., tallied 50 points and 22 goals during her career. A two-time Longstreth/NFHCA West Region All-American, Drake was selected to the 2012 Midwest Senior High Performance team. She earned a spot on the USA U21 Junior National and Midwest Junior High Performance teams in 2011. Drake was a three-time selection for the Junior National Team Camp, and was chosen for the Midwest High Performance Tournament Team at the USA National Championships in 2010. A four-year field hockey letterwinner, Drake is a three-time All-Big Ten and academic All-Big Ten honoree and a four-time NFHCA National academic squad member. She earned a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award last year. She will graduate with a B.A. in philosophy and ethics and public policy in December. Drake earned the UI’S Robert F. Ray Faculty Representative Award earlier this month, which is annually presented by the UI President’s Committee on Athletics (PCA) to a male and female student athlete who demonstrates outstanding academic and athletic excellence and leadership.
In recognition of the Big Ten’s leadership in fully integrating athletics into the academic mission of its member institutions, the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership initiated the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award in 2008. Each Big Ten institution was asked to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for 2013, with a $10,000 scholarship awarded to each winner.
The Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award is named for the former Big Ten Conference commissioner who served from 1971-89. While leading the Big Ten, Duke spent much of his time working to improve academic standards and graduation rates for student-athletes. The award is made possible by donations from local corporations and individuals supporting collegiate student-athletes. The Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership is comprised of the State of Indiana, City of Indianapolis, Indiana Sports Corporation, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and Visit Indy.