April 29, 2008
Stanford, Calif. - Three Stanford athletes were among the 58 NCAA student-athletes to be awarded educational grants through the NCAA postgraduate scholarship program announced the NCAA today. Tanner Gardner of the Stanford wrestling team, Dylan Carney of the Stanford men's gymnastics team and Josh Hustedt of the Stanford track and field squad were among the 29 male winners for winter.
Each student-athlete will receive a one-time, nonrenewable grant of $7,500. The NCAA will name postgraduate scholars for spring sports later this year.
Gardner became the school's first three-time All-American this year, finishing fifth at the NCAA Wrestling Championships last March. He won his second consecutive Pac-10 title in 2008, was named the event's Most Outstanding Wrestler and finished his Stanford career as the school's all-time win leader. Gardner, who was recently named the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, completed an undergraduate degree in public policy with a 3.73 GPA, and boasts a 4.0 while pursuing his master's degree in sociology.
Carney, a five-time All-American and outstanding competitor on the horizontal bar, floor, and vault, has led Stanford to three consecutive top-three finishes at the NCAA championships. He was the 2006 NCAA Co-National Champion on the horizontal bar, and claimed his fifth All-America honor with a sixth place finish on the high bar this year. Excelling equally in the classroom, Carney, a 2008 Rhodes Scholarship finalist and Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship winner, has earned a bachelor's degree with honors in biological sciences. He is continuing his studies to get a master's in biological sciences, carrying a 4.01 graduate GPA.
Hustedt, a two-time All-American in the heptathlon, was the 2008 national runner-up in the event this year. He is the school record-holder in the heptathlon, and is third all-time in the decathlon. A 2007 USTFCCCA Academic All-American, Hustedt is completing his studies at Stanford with a degree in human biology and a 3.41 GPA.
Stanford's three selections matched the most of any school in the nation. In the fall, Stanford's four selections - Neftalem Araia (men's cross country), Rachel Buehler (women's soccer), Sandy Hohener (men's water polo) and Arianna Lambie (women's cross country) - were also the most of any institution.
The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The Association awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women.
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. For more information about the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, go to the Diversity and Inclusion link under the About the NCAA tab at www.ncaa.org.