Southern Conference announces graduate scholars
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference today named its Postgraduate Scholarship recipients for the 2006-07 academic year. Seven student-athletes received the scholarship. The Postgraduate Scholarships are part of the TIAA-CREF Academic Award Program.
The seven honorees include Dave Hart Graduate Scholar recipient Chris Chalko (Elon), Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholar recipient Heather Reynolds (Georgia Southern), TIAA-CREF Graduate Scholar recipient Adi Filipovic (Furman), Sony Graduate Scholar recipient Spence Gibbs (Furman), David Knight Graduate Scholar recipient Jessica Lange (Furman), and John Brandt (Wofford) and Teryn Schuetz (College of Charleston) who each earned the Renaissance Graduate Scholarships.
Chalko, a basketball player from Elon, is the 2007 recipient of the Dave Hart graduate scholarship. A member of the Phoenix’s basketball team, Chalko is currently enrolled in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program and is the first collegiate athlete at Elon to play a sport and participate as a full-time doctoral student. Chalko finished his career ranked third all-time at Elon with 199 3-pointers made. He is also Elon’s 29th all-time leading scorer with 1,034 career points, a two-time MVP, was voted All-Southern Conference by the league’s coaches and second-team All-Southern Conference by the media in 2006. He was a 2007 ESPN The Magazine third team Academic All-American, 2006 and 2007 ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District III, 2006-07 Academic All-Conference selection, five-time TIAA-CREF Student Athlete of the Week, four-time SoCon Honor Roll member and a recipient of the Commissioner’s Medal in 2006. The South Bend, Ind., native is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma and Psi Chi Honor Societies, was on the Dean’s and President’s List every year, is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council from 2003-05 as the men’s basketball representative, is a member of Fellowship for Christian Athletes and served as the course director for the Annual Run for Respect in 2005 and 2006. He graduated undergrad cum laude from Elon with a degree in exercise sport science.
This year’s recipient of the Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship award is Heather Reynolds. Reynolds is currently pursuing her MBA from Georgia Southern University, where she graduated summa cum laude in three years with a 3.97 GPA in sports management. As a member of the GSU women’s tennis team, she served as the team captain during the 2006-07 season and posted the best singles record on the team during the 2005-06 campaign. Reynolds was named the 2005-06 Georgia Southern University Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, received the Excellent Scholarship for a Graduating Senior in 2006, the SoCon Commissioner’s Medal in 2006, was a member of the SoCon Honor Roll from 2003-2007, was named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team on four different occasions and was an All-American Collegiate Scholar all four years of her playing career. She plans on attending law school.
Filipovic, a recent summa cum laude graduate from Furman, is this year’s TIAA-CREF Graduate Scholarship recipient. Filipovic graduated as a double-major in mathematics and economics. While playing football at Furman, he accumulated multiple awards including the 2005 Furman Arthur Magill Economics Award and the 2005 and 2006 Furman Football Academic Award with the highest GPA on the football team. He was a four-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll honoree, a three-time SoCon Academic All-Conference honoree, recipient of the Commissioners Medal in 2005-06, named a 2006 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-American, was a 2006 Draddy Award/National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete semifinalist and was named the 2005-06 Furman Student Athlete of the Year. After only playing two years of football prior to earning a scholarship to Furman, he was a member of a senior class that posted a four-year record of 35-15 overall and 21-8 in the SoCon and won the 2004 SoCon championship.
Gibbs, a baseball player from Furman, will be this year’s recipient of the Sony Graduate Scholarship. He was a four-year member of the SoCon Academic Honor Roll, earned the Commissioner’s Medal in 2006 and the Wylie Scholarship as a freshman. In 2005 he helped to lead Furman to the SoCon tournament championship and to a berth in the NCAA regionals. He also played an integral role in Furman’s 14-game win streak against SoCon competition and participated in the IMG Wooden Bat League in 2005 where he earned a spot on the league’s All-Star team. He will earn his Bachelor’s of Science in health and exercise science and then will continue his education at the Medical University of South Carolina School of Dentistry.
Lange, a basketball player from Knoxville, Tenn., is this year’s David Knight Scholarship recipient. She is a member of the Premedical honor society Alpha Epsilon Delta, a member of Phi Eta Sigma, a member of the Health and Exercise Science Major Club at Furman and of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Reformed University Fellowship. On the court, she was team captain during the 2006-07 season. Lange finished her basketball career at Furman by setting a single-season record her junior year with 54 blocked shots and finished her career second all-time in Furman history. She also is among the SoCon record book for blocks in a season (54) and blocks in a career (125 blocks, averaging 1.4 per game). She will earn her Bachelor’s of Science in health and exercise science and then plans to attend the University of Tennessee School of Medicine with an emphasis on ophthalmology.
Brandt, an outfielder on Wofford’s baseball team, will receive a Renaissance Graduate Scholarship this year. He served as the president of the Wofford Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2006-07 and was inducted into the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society in 2006. As a member of the Terriers’ baseball team he has seen starting roles at catcher, left field, first base and DH and was among the conference leaders in RBIs and home runs in 2007. Brandt was on the SoCon Academic Honor Roll all four years, earned the Commissioner’s Medal in 2006, was named an Academic All-Conference selection in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-Conference All-District III first-team in 2006 after being named to the second team in 2005. The West Union, S.C., native will be receiving a Bachelor’s of Science in biology and plans on attending medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina with aspirations of being a surgeon.
Schuetz, a soccer player for the College of Charleston, will also receive a Renaissance Graduate Scholarship. As a member of the Cougars’ women’s soccer team, Schuetz finished her career with 39 points, ranking sixth on the College of Charleston all-time scoring list, and her seven game-winning goals are a Cougar all-time career record. Schuetz was a member of the NSCAA/adidas College Women Scholar All-South Region Team in 2006. She received the J. Stewart Walker Cup from the College of Charleston, which is the highest award given by the athletic department to a student-athlete. She also received the SoCon Commissioner’s Medal in 2006, the Family Circle Cup Community Outreach Scholarship in 2006, and was a 2006 SoCon second-team all-conference selection. When not on the field, Schuetz worked as an instructor at free soccer camp clinics and volunteered her time with Habitat for Humanity, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Relay for Life and Jump Rope for Heart. She plans on attending graduate school and pursuing a career in education.
2006-07 Southern Conference Graduate Scholars
Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship: Chris Chalko, Elon (basketball)
Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship: Heather Reynolds, Georgia Southern (tennis)
TIAA-CREF Graduate Scholarship: Adi Filipovic, Furman (football)
Sony Graduate Scholarship: Spence Gibbs, Furman (baseball)
David Knight Scholarship: Jessica Lange, Furman (basketball)
Renaissance Graduate Scholarship: (Male): John Brandt, Wofford (baseball)
(Female): Teryn Schuetz, College of Charleston (soccer)
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