NCAA and Other National Academic Award Won By Villanova Student-Athletes

VILLANOVA, Pa.--Senior track & field and cross country student-athlete Stephanie Schappert (Delray Beach, Fla.) was recently named a winner of a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The award comes with a $7,500 scholarship that can be applied towards pursuing a graduate or other advances degree. Schappert is the 20th student-athlete from Villanova to receive one of the NCAA-sponsored postgraduate scholarships.

Schappert has been a four-year standout for the Wildcats during both the cross country and track & field seasons. She is currently preparing for the NCAA East Preliminary Meet later this month after helping lead the Wildcats to their second consecutive team title at the outdoor BIG EAST Championships. Schappert also received her undergraduate degree from the Villanova School of Business this past weekend.

Between the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons, Schappert is a combined three-time All-American and eight-time BIG EAST champion. She has also been a part of five BIG EAST team titles, including two each indoors and outdoors and one in cross country. Schappert is also a four-time Penn Relays champion. She anchored the Wildcats fourth straight win in the Championship of America distance medley relay last month, and also ran the second leg of the 4x800 meter relay as Villanova won that title for the third straight year.

During the indoor track & field season earlier this year, Schappert was the BIG EAST individual champion in the Mile and went on to earn second team All-America honors in the Mile for the second straight season. The conference title was her first in an individual event after being a seven-time conference champion in the 4x800 meter relay (four times indoors, three times outdoors). Schappert is a 14-time All-BIG EAST performer when combining her indoor and outdoor season exploits.

As a cross country runner, Schappert closed out a stellar collegiate career by winning the individual title at the ECAC Championship last fall. She also earned All-Mid Atlantic Region honors by placing amongst the top 25 overall finishers at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in each of the past two years. Schappert's performance at the regional meet in 2013 helped the Wildcats win the team title at the meet and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. She was also a part of the team's 2011 title at the BIG EAST Championships.

Outside of athletic competition, Schappert has put together an equally impressive list of accolades. She is a three-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team, with the team for the current academic year not yet announced. Schappert has also been named to All-Academic Teams by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) a total of four times during her collegiate career. She received the honor for track & field following both the 2012-13 and the 2013-14 academic years, in addition to being named to the cross country all-academic team after the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Schappert was also voted onto the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area cross country team in 2014.

Schappert completed her undergraduate studies as a Marketing major in the Villanova School of Business. She was eligible for an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as a student-athlete in at least their final season of NCAA athletics eligibility with a minimum grade-point average of 3.20 or higher. Nominees for the award must also have performed with distinction as a varsity team member in the sport in which they are being nominated, and they must intend to continue their academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree and enroll in a graduate degree program on a part-time or full-time basis.

Schappert is the 20th student-athlete from Villanova and the second member of her own family to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The last scholarship winner from the Wildcats was Schappert's older sister Nicole, who earned the award in 2010. Five of the 20 scholarship recipients from Villanova have been women's track & field/cross country student-athletes. The list also includes Becky Spies (1995), Nnenna Lynch (1993) and Carol Haux (1991).

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. Athletics and academic achievements, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership are evaluated. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedicated and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study.