The NDSU athletic department has announced the inaugural winners of the Itterman Graduate Scholarship, which will be awarded to four student-athletes to pursue postgraduate education.
The scholarship was established by former Bison football player Brett Itterman and his wife, Katie. “We want to help student-athletes pursuing graduate degrees have eye-opening and interesting experiences that will, in turn, enhance their professional endeavors,” the Ittermans said.
The first-time Itterman Graduate Scholarship recipients are women’s golfer Sierra Bennion, women’s track and field athlete Paige Harris, women’s soccer goalkeeper Monica Polgar and softball player Lauren Reimers.
The recipients will receive a one-time financial award applied to postgraduate study in a field and at the institution of their choice.
Bennion will seek her doctorate in audiology at the University of Utah. Known as a team leader, she was a key member on a women’s golf team that won the 2018 Summit League Championship and received the 2019 Presidential Academic Team Award given to the NDSU athletic program with the highest team GPA.
Harris will attend the University of Washington Medical School. She graduated from NDSU with a perfect 4.0 GPA and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Polgar will continue at NDSU, seeking her master’s degree in natural resource management. During the past two years, she played every minute of every game as goalkeeper. She equaled her athletic achievements with an impressive scholarly record as an undergraduate research associate providing hundreds of hours of research assistance.
Reimers will pursue her doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Minnesota. Some of her accolades include being named an All-America Scholar, as well as receiving the highest departmental honors for academic achievement.
“I am incredibly grateful to both Brett and Katie for their generous support,” said NDSU director of athletics Matt Larsen. “This initiative was near and dear to their hearts, and to see the impact it will have on our graduating student-athletes as they continue their education is inspiring.”
Brett Itterman earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from NDSU and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is now the chief executive officer of Fargo-based Pentex Restaurant Group.
“NDSU prepared me to join the professional world,” said Itterman, who was a linebacker for the Bison teams from 2002 to 2006. “My coaches and teammates instilled a discipline, work ethic and preparation that has been the foundation of my professional career.”
Katie Itterman graduated from William Mitchell College of Law and is now executive director for the Burgum Foundation.
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