STANFORD, Calif. – Swimmer Taylor Ruck and fencer Liana Keesing each have been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for academic and athletic achievements.
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners receive a one-time grant of $10,000. In addition to maintaining at least a 3.2 grade-point average, they must perform with distinction in their sport and be nominated by their institution's faculty athletics representative. Stanford's overall total of NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipients is now 186.
Ruck, from Kelowna, British Columbia, via Scottsdale, Arizona, is a four-time Olympic medalist, earning a silver and three bronze medals in relays while competing for Canada at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, where she reached the final in the 200-meter backstroke, placing sixth.
At Stanford, Ruck captured two NCAA titles in the 200-yard freestyle and two in the 800 free relay. She is a four-time Pac-12 relay champion and, in 2019, set the Stanford record in the 200-yard back while helping the Cardinal to the NCAA team title.
Among her achievements, Ruck tied the record for the most medals won by an athlete in a single edition of the Commonwealth Games, earning eight, including setting a Games record while winning the 200-meter free. She won five medals at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, including one gold, and won six gold among her seven medals at the 2017 World Junior Championships. At the 2019 FINA Long Course World Championships, Ruck won silver in the 400-meter free relay and bronze in the 800 free relay.
Ruck completed her collegiate career while majoring in human biology and co-terming in Earth systems. Ruck feels her work toward a master's of science at Stanford could open up potential careers in areas such as marine ecology, sustainability, and biogeochemistry, with close attention to examining threats to the longevity and adaptability of life on Earth. Ruck also remains focused on making the Canadian Olympic team for Paris 2024.
Keesing is a three-year team captain at Stanford and a member of two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship teams. She was born in Suva, Fiji, and raised in McLean, Virginia, and majored in electrical and electronics engineering while co-terming in the same discipline and earning a minor in physics. She will continue to work toward her master's while continuing to be involved in the fencing program in some capacity.
Keesing has been an active community leader at Stanford, involved in groups such as the Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Fellowship, Women in Electrical Engineering, and Stanford in Government, as well as serving as co-director of StanfordVotes as chief of staff at Democracy Day, and as an advisory board member at the Haas Center for Public Service.
Her longterm goal is for a high-level role in public service that places her at the intersection of democracy and technology. She sees how technology has been used to erode American democracy and how the government lacks the ability to respond effectively. Keesing sees the need to prioritize leadership in emerging technologies, not just as a reaction to these threats, but for their potential for public good. She would like a career in leading these efforts.