| Dee Dlugonski has been awarded a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, becoming the 40th Penn State student-athlete to receive the honor. Dlugonski also is a finalist for the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year, to be announced Oct. 29. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., October 19, 2005 - Former Penn State women's swimming standout Deidre Dlugonski has been awarded a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Dlugonski becomes the 40th Penn State student-athletes to receive the NCAA Scholarship and the second this year, joining Clint Keithley from the men's tennis team. Six Penn State student-athletes have earned the NCAA honor in the past three years.
A native of Washington, Pa., Dlugonski is the second member of the Nittany Lion women's swimming and diving program to earn the honor, joining Bobbi Millard (1982).
Dlugonski will receive a $7,500 grant for postgraduate study at the university of professional school of her choice. She graduated in May with a superlative 3.96 grade point average.
Dlugonski is a candidate for another prestigious NCAA accolade. She is one of 10 finalists for the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year award, one of the most prestigious honors the NCAA bestows. The award recognizes senior student-athletes in intercollegiate athletics for their outstanding achievements in athletics, academics and community service.
The 2005 winner will be announced at the NCAA Woman of the Year dinner on Oct. 29 in Indianapolis.
Dlugonski graduated last spring as the Marshall of the College of Health and Human Development/Kinesiology, with the highest grade point average among Kinesiology students. She graduated ranked first in a class of 114 in the Department of Kinesiology, and 17th in a class of 909 in the College of Health and Human Development.
A nine-time All-American, Dlugonski also was a 2005 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Women's At-Large First Team member, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA).
She won her seventh Big Ten title in 2005, helping Penn State break the Big Ten record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:39.06. At the 2005 NCAA Championships, Dlugonski finished seventh in both the 200 medley relay and the 400 medley relay, while also placing 13th in the 400 freestyle relay, and 15th in the 200 freestyle relay. She also was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and she was named to the All-Big Ten first team for the fourth time.
Dlugonski finished her Nittany Lion career as a seven-time Big Ten Champion, and a four-time College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-American. She set six Penn State school records, and three Big Ten records. She was also a three-time team captain for Penn State, helping to lead the squad to its only two Big Ten Championship titles in 2002 and 2005, respectively.
The NCAA awarded a total of 58 Postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 29 men and 29 women who participated in spring semester sports in all three NCAA divisions. To qualify for an NCAA Postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.200 (on a 4.000 scale) or its equivalent and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics.