Swimming: Shippensburg's Theresa Simcic Honored With Prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Shippensburg University women’s swimming senior Theresa Simcic was honored Monday with an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, becoming just the fifth student-athlete in school history to achieve this honor
Photo: Shippensburg University Athletics - Theresa Simcic was honored Monday with an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
INDIANAPOLIS - Shippensburg University women’s swimming senior Theresa Simcic was honored Monday with an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, becoming just the fifth student-athlete in school history to achieve this honor and the first in 10 years.
The NCAA awarded educational grants to 58 student-athletes, and the winners (29 men and 29 women) represent winter-sports participants who will receive one-time, nonrenewable grants of $7,500.
Simcic, who will graduate on Saturday with a degree in psychology, was a member of the 200-yard freestyle relay squad that achieved All-American status at this year’s national championships. Her relay team established a new school record in the event three times this season and surpassed the 15-year-old mark originally set by a quartet that featured another former Postgraduate Scholarship award winner, Cindy Kepler ‘94.
“This is a great honor — I am extremely surprised and thankful,” said Simcic, who will attend the University of Kentucky. “This award is literally making it possible for me to continue my education. I have been looking into a number of funding opportunities, but this award is allowing me to keep going.”
Simcic has been an outstanding freestyle swimmer for Shippensburg over the past four years. As a sophomore, she earned five honorable mention All-American honors at the national championships after qualifying as a member of the school's record-setting 400-yard medley relay team. She will study cognitive psychology at Kentucky and plans to seek a Ph.D. in the realm of legal psychology.
“This is such a tremendous accomplishment,” said women’s swimming coach Tim Verge, whose 2008-09 squad ranked fourth in the nation academically among Division II programs. “When you look at the numbers you see how very special it is to receive one of these awards. Of all the senior swimmers in the NCAA this winter, there were only nine women who were granted the scholarships.”
The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women.
“To be included among this group is so wonderful for Theresa,” Verge said. “She has worked extremely hard during her time here to put herself in this position and I couldn’t be more proud of or happy for her.”
The last recipient of the award from Shippensburg was women’s basketball star Ashley (Totedo) Swanson ‘99, a native of Donora who went on to attend the Duquesne University School of Law. She received her justice degree in 2002 and was a recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Trial Advocacy. She remains an associate for the Pittsburgh-based law firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C.
Kepler was the PSAC Scholar Athlete of the Year and an Academic All-American as a senior swimmer. She graduated from Shippensburg with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and finished her academic career with a 3.78 grade-point
