May 16, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; May 16, 2014 - The Big Ten Conference office announced its 2013-14 postgraduate scholarship winners on Thursday with women's gymnast Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) and men's swimmer Matt Salig (Downingtown, Pa.) named the recipients from Penn State.
One male and one female student-athlete from each of the 12 Big Ten institutions who plan to continue their education at a graduate degree program were awarded a $7,500 scholarship, primarily based on academic achievements.
Musgrove was a major piece of the Nittany Lions success in the gym and the classroom, graduating with her degree in bio-behavioral health in four years with a 3.89 GPA. She competed on the vault and floor exercise in every meet in 2014 and helped Penn State to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2009. She was the team's top performer on the floor exercise all season, winning two event titles as a senior and posting a team-best 9.850 at the NCAA Championships.
Her academic successes included three appointments to the Big Ten Academic All-Conference squad and a trio of Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades. Musgrove was also the program's Bernie Robertson Scholar-Athlete Award during her final two seasons. She also was a leader in the community for the Blue and White and helped the women's gymnastics program capture their fourth straight Penn State SAAB CHAMPS Cup Award for community service. During her career, Musgrove helped with causes such as Flip for a Cure, Special Olympics, Relay for Life, TEAM REAM and the PSU All-Sports Museum Trick or Treat, as well as volunteering with various elementary school reading and homework programs.
This summer, Musgrove will be taking part in a nine week internship program at NASA. The Flight Analog Project will study patients in a bed-rest setting in hopes to determine which systems in the body react to a simulated limited gravity environment and help to develop new and novel ways of preventing the adverse changes seen in the flight analogs.
Senior Matt Salig |
A four-letterwinner for the Nittany Lion men's swimming and diving team, Salig has been a significant contributor on the team in the pool, classroom and community. The senior is the Penn State record holder in the 200 butterfly event and placed in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships in the event during his time as a Nittany Lion. Salig was granted the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Robert Kimmel Academic Achievement Award, which is presented to the men's swim team member with the highest GPA. Salig was also a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recipient, while earning a degree in bioengineering.
Through his academic success and time dedicated to community service, Salig has been a strong role model for other Penn State student-athletes. The senior held a leadership role with the Engineering Orientation Network (EON). Over the past year, Salig served as the head mentor for the organization and embraced his role. The Downington, Pa. native helped many incoming students with the challenges of adapting to college life through this program and Salig led in organizing and motivating the other mentor's to achieve the organization's goals.
This year's 24 recipients span 19 different sports and will continue their education in a variety of different disciplines, including five student-athletes who plan to enroll in medical school and three honorees that will enter law school. This year's honorees are also pursuing graduate degrees in diverse fields of study, including bioengineering, classical studies, counseling psychology, electrical engineering, finance and investments, mechanical engineering and physics.
The scholarship will be used to pay expenses of the student's postgraduate education to include such related activities as research and teaching, as well as other expenses such as tuition, fees, room and board, required course-related supplies and books. In order to retain the scholarship, the recipient must be accepted into a full-time graduate degree program within three years from the fall semester after selection.
The complete list of 2013-14 Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipients can be found below.
Illinois
Bruno Abdelnour, Men's Tennis
Anne Goering, Women's Swimming & Diving
Indiana
Meghan Lappan, Women's Water Polo
Eric Ress, Men's Swimming & Diving
Iowa
James Morris, Football
Marike Stribos, Field Hockey
Michigan
David Moore, Men's Swimming & Diving
Kiley Tobel, Women's Track & Field
Michigan State
Jacob Jarzen, Men's Swimming & Diving
Kristen Kelsay, Women's Volleyball
Minnesota
Rachel Drake, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Justin Morinishi, Men's Gymnastics
Nebraska
Brandon Chapek, Football
Sunny Russell, Women's Rifle
Northwestern
Maria Kovalchuk, Field Hockey
Daniel Tyson, Baseball
Ohio State
Michael Newburger, Men's Gymnastics
Alexandra Norris, Women's Swimming & Diving
Penn State
Lindsay Musgrove, Women's Gymnastics
Matthew Salig, Men's Swimming & Diving
Purdue
Cody Davis, Football
Kyle Mosier, Wrestling
Wisconsin
Michael Brice, Men's Track & Field/Cross Country
Ilana Friedman, Women's Ice Hockey