A total of 27 swimmers and divers, 15 men and 12 women, are among the 58 winter sport athletes to receive NCAA Postgraduate scholarships for the 2012-2013 season, the organization has revealed. Annually, this program hands out 174 postgraduate scholarships to NCAA senior athletes across all of the NCAA’s sports and all three divisions, with 58 total available during each season (29 for men and 29 for women).
The program was created in 1964 and currently gives out a $7,500 post-graduate education grant to each winner, and is considered to be one of the highest academic honors a student-athlete can receive. Winning the award isn’t just a measure of success on the playing field, it encompasses academic accomplishments, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities, and demonstrated leadership.
Swimming dominated this year’s winter sports awards, winning nearly half of those earned. On the men’s side of the pool, the biggest names in the pool include Auburn breaststroker Stuart Ferguson, a three-time SEC Champion and seven-time All-American; his teammate Kyle Owens, who swept the SEC backstroke championships in 2013; USC’s med-school bound co-captain Alex Lendrum, who ranks 2nd on the Trojans’ all-time lists in the 100 back, 200 back, and 200 IM; and Ian Stewart-Bates, who was a part of the incredible Kenyon sprint relays at the Division III NCAA Championships.
The names get even bigger on the women’s side, where they include Tennessee’s Kelsey Floyd, who was an Olympic Trials finalist in both the 100 and 200 butterflies and will represent the U.S. at the World University Games, at least.
It also included Lauren Gustafson from Purdue, who was a cog on the revamped Purdue sprint relays; Notre Dame’s Kim Holden. who was 13th at NCAA’s in the 200 backstroke; and Duke Olympic silver-medalist diver Abby Johnston.
Also, deserved recognition goes to the Emory men’s and women’s programs. They put a total of 5 members of their combined swimming and diving programs on this list, far outshining anyone else. That includes two members of their national-championship-winning women’s team.
It’s worth pointing out that most athletes who perform well enough to make this list are recipients of several other academic honors and scholarships.
| Sport | Last Name | First Name | Institution |
| Men’s Swimming | Baker | Dwight | Drury University |
| Men’s Swimming | Bandy | Kevin | University of Louisville |
| Men’s Swimming | Beegle | Justin | Emory University |
| Men’s Swimming | Douglas | James Alexander | Emory University |
| Men’s Swimming | Ferguson | Stuart | Auburn University |
| Men’s Swimming | Harp | Tyler | University of Redlands |
| Men’s Swimming | Lendrum | James | University of Southern California |
| Men’s Swimming | Link | Phillip | University of the South |
| Men’s Swimming | Martin | Cameron | University of Florida |
| Men’s Swimming | O’Brien | Peter | Emory University |
| Men’s Swimming | Owens | Kyle | Auburn University |
| Men’s Swimming | Ramsey | Curtis | Kenyon College |
| Men’s Swimming | Rieniets | Dominic | Linfield College |
| Men’s Swimming | Stewart-Bates | Ian | Kenyon College |
| Men’s Swimming | Treat | Christian | Bucknell University |
| Sport | Last Name | First Name | Institution |
| Women’s Swimming | Connolly | Anna | Kenyon College |
| Women’s Swimming | Floyd | Kelsey | University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| Women’s Swimming | Gorinski | Laura | U.S. Naval Academy |
| Women’s Swimming | Gustafson | Lauren | Purdue University |
| Women’s Swimming | Holden | Kimberly | University of Notre Dame |
| Women’s Swimming | Johnston | Abigail | Duke University |
| Women’s Swimming | Michalak | Mia | Emory University |
| Women’s Swimming | Neil | Sara | University of the South |
| Women’s Swimming | Shaak | Rebecca | Lake Forest College |
| Women’s Swimming | Shangle | Kayleigh | The College of New Jersey |
| Women’s Swimming | Shull | Kayla | Clarion University of Pennsylvania |
| Women’s Swimming | Wolber | Ann | Emory University |