NDSU seniors Laura Hermanson and Brett Winkelman were among 58 student-athletes selected for National Collegiate Athletic Association postgraduate scholarships.
The association awards postgraduate scholarships to 29 men and 29 women each fall, winter and spring. The award is a one-time, non-renewable grant of $7,500 for study toward a graduate degree at the university or professional school of their choice.
Hermanson is the sixth NDSU women’s track and field athlete to earn the award, and Winkelman is the fourth Bison men’s basketball player. They are the 41st and 42nd postgraduate scholarship winners from NDSU since the program began in 1964.
Hermanson, a middle distance runner from Burnsville, Minn., holds school indoor records in the 300-, 600-, 800-meter and 1-mile runs, and also owns outdoor records in the 800 and 1500 meters. She won back-to-back Summit League indoor titles in the 800 and the mile and was named Summit League Female Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
NDSU’s first Division I All-American, Hermanson placed seventh in the 800 meters at the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association indoor national championship. She placed eighth at the 2008 U.S. Indoor Championships and was 10th in the final round of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Winkelman, a forward from Morris, Minn., was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year in Division I men’s basketball this year. He was a three-time Academic All-American, two-time All-Summit League player and the 2008 Summit League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The all-time leading rebounder and second leading scorer in Bison history, Winkelman averaged 16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while making all 118 starts in his career.
Hermanson and Winkelman both served as NDSU representatives on the Summit League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and were active in NDSU’s Division I certification process. Hermanson served on the governance and compliance subcommittee and Winkelman was on the student-athlete welfare task force.
May 20, 2009