A pair of U student-athletes have parlayed their tremendous success both in the field of competition and in the classroom into $5,000 post-graduate scholarships from the NCAA.
Shannon Bowles, a member of the gymnastics team, and Teren Jameson, a runner for the cross country and track teams, were among the 58 winter sports athletes selected for the awards from throughout the nation.
To be eligible for the scholarship, a student-athlete must have accumulated at least a 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and have “performed with distinction” as a member of a varsity team, according to the NCAA. The athletes must also continue their education beyond a bachelor’s degree.
Both Bowles and Jameson easily fit the bill.
Bowles was a nine-time All-American gymnast who returned from a broken neck suffered in the 2000 season to help lead the Utes to a fourth-place finish at this year’s national championship meet.
Beyond earning the 2002 North Central Region Gymnast of the Year, the dual major in psychology and exercise and sport science also carries a 3.813 cumulative GPA.
She has the top grade point average of any of the U’s graduating female athletes and was named the first alternate to speak at Commencement ceremonies on May 10.
As for Jameson, he is a two-time cross country All-American and was also the 2001 MWC Runner of the Year for that sport. While competing in indoor track during the winter, he was three times named the MWC’s Indoor T&F Athlete of the Week, and wound up winning the conference’s 5,000 meters title in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Even more impressive, however, is the 3.98 GPA he has maintained as an electrical engineering major.