Phillips Granted NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior Sean Phillips of the Ithaca College men's cross country and track & field teams has been selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee to receive a $7,500 scholarship towards a postgraduate degree. The NCAA announced its winter recipients on March 7.
From the NCAA Postgraduate website – "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.
The one-time non-renewable scholarships of $7,500 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 an NCAA graduate degree scholarship, regardless of when they received their undergraduate degree.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports."
Phillips, a physical therapy major from East Aurora, N.Y., has excelled on the cross country trails and in distance events for the track & field program over the past four seasons.
In cross country, Phillips was the Empire 8 Runner of the Year in 2016, as well as the Rookie of the Year in 2013. He earned four first-team all-conference nods, three NCAA Atlantic All-Region performances and qualified for the NCAA Championships this past fall. Academically, he has been honored by the USTFCCCCA four times.
On the track, he holds Ithaca's school record in the indoor mile at 4:15.96. Phillips is a five-time all-conference honoree and was the 2013 Empire 8 Indoor Rookie of the Year.
Phillips will obtain his undergraduate degree this May and plans to remain on South Hill to work towards his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
"It is truly an honor to be a recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship," said Phillips. "I was told I had been chosen as a recipient for the scholarship by my professor and NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative,
Barb Belyea. She walked into the physical therapy clinic on campus and told me with a big smile on her face while I smiled, jumped up and down and high-fived everyone in the room. I feel incredibly blessed to be receiving this award and it goes a long way toward helping me afford graduate school here at Ithaca College in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program."
Belyea also expressed her excitement when the NCAA informed her that Phillips would receive this scholarship. "I am so pleased that Sean's outstanding accomplishments both in the classroom and in athletics have been recognized at this national level. He epitomizes the commitment to excellence that Ithaca College Athletics instills in our student-athletes."
Phillips' cross country and track & field head coach
Jim Nichols had this to say about the accomplishment. "It is a well deserved honor for Sean to be awarded a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. He has excelled in the classroom as well as on the cross country courses, and tracks, he has raced. Sean is a great example of 'the commitment to excellence' that we strive to achieve daily. It really is a Great Day to be a Bomber!"
Phillips is the 13th student-athlete to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and the first since women's soccer athlete Becca Salant in 2013.
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients:
| Name |
Major |
Year |
Sport(s) |
| Lawrence Wennogle |
Chemistry |
1971 |
Wrestling |
| Dave Hollowell |
Art |
1973 |
Baseball/Men's Basketball |
| David Watts |
Recreation |
1981 |
Baseball |
| Collen Skelly |
Biology |
1988 |
Women's Cross Country/Track & Field |
| Cheryl Wah |
Sport Management |
1999 |
Softball |
| Amanda Laytham |
Exercise Science |
2004 |
Women's Cross Country/Track & Field |
| Brooke Aldrich |
Athletic Training /
Exercise Science |
2005 |
Field Hockey |
| Lauren Byler |
|
2005 |
Women's Track & Field |
| Amy Scheffer |
Accounting |
2010 |
Women's Soccer |
| Marcia McCord |
Biochemistry |
2011 |
Women's Track & Field |
| Emma Dewart |
Health Promotion
and Physical Education |
2012 |
Women's Track & Field |
| Becca Salant |
Clinical Health Studies |
2013 |
Women's Soccer |
| Sean Phillips |
Physical Therapy |
2017 |
Men's Cross Country/Track & Field |