Olivet College’s Weaver receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Jalen Weaver, a former member of the Olivet College men’s track and field team, has received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, it was announced recently by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He is only the fourth student-athlete in Olivet history to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The other three were Charles Kovaleski in 1970, Bill Ziem in 1974 and Jeff Bell in 1999.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Jalen Weaver, a former member of the Olivet College men's track and field team, has received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, it was announced recently by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He is only the fourth student-athlete in Olivet history to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The other three were Charles Kovaleski in 1970, Bill Ziem in 1974 and Jeff Bell in 1999.
"I am extremely honored to receive this scholarship," said Weaver. "I cannot thank everyone at Olivet for everything they did for me during my time there. During my application process, I received excellent letters of recommendation from Nick Juday, Nancy VanHoozier, Samantha Myers and Karen Lutzke. This scholarship is another example of how Olivet has helped me succeed and pursue my dreams."
Weaver, a 2015 Olivet College alumnus, graduated magna cum laude with a 3.8119 grade point average in exercise science. He was one of 29 recipients for the 2016-17 men's winter sports season to receive a postgraduate scholarship. The recipient of a one-time, non-renewable scholarship of $7,500, Weaver is currently enrolled at Wayne State University to pursue a doctorate degree in physical therapy.
In March 2015, Weaver became the first indoor track & field All-American in school history with a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Championships. Other accomplishments on the track included being the back-to-back Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) champion in the 800m at the 2014 and 2015 MIAA Field Day. Those performances landed him a spot on the All-MIAA team.
On the track, Weaver holds the indoor school records in the 400-, 600-, 800- and 1,000-meter runs. His time in the preliminaries, 1:53.15, at the national championships is the top mark in the 800m. At the time of his graduation, Weaver had the outdoor record in the 800m.
Weaver is a two-time Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Men's Track & Field selection, earning first-team honors in 2014-15 and second-team honors in 2013-14. He was also named to the 2014-15 United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic team.
"While at Olivet College, Jalen was a leader on the track and in the classroom," said Olivet head track & field coach Karen Lutzke. "He put his heart and soul into everything he did and motivated everyone around him to go after their dreams. His passion for helping others is evident as he continues to pursue his own dream of earning his doctorate degree."
The NCAA awards up to 174 Postgraduate Scholarships annually. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships are awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring). Each sports season there are 29 scholarships available for men and 29 scholarships available for women for use in an accredited graduate program. All former student-athletes who earned an undergraduate degree from an NCAA member school are eligible to be nominated by that school for the scholarship, regardless of when they received their undergraduate degree.