May 15, 2002
Brandon Kieper Awarded NACDA Postgraduate Scholarship
The Truman Athletics Media Relations office is proud to announce that its senior student assistant Brandon Kieper (Antigo, Wis.) was one of four individuals from NCAA Division II institutions to have earned a Sears Directors' Cup Postgraduate Scholarship, presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
A total of 16 winners from NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA were awarded the prestigious scholarships. The winners, chosen from 185 nominees, will each receive a $5,000 grant to be used toward postgraduate studies.
Kieper was a four-year student assistant in the sports information department at Truman State University, and excelled with a 3.97 GPA in communications with a minor in sociology. Heavily involved in all aspects of the Truman athletics media relations department, Kieper served as the student assistant for soccer and baseball.
He was honored with numerous awards for his work from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Kieper was also very involved with KTRM radio, the campus radio station, where he was a member of management and served in numerous capacities during his career.
Additionally, he was a staff reporter for the campus newspaper, The Index. He was also a member of Phi Sigma Kappa, where he held numerous positions during his four years, most notably chair for the Intramural Sports and Social committees. Kieper plans to pursue a degree in sport sociology or sport law in 2003.
The winners will receive their awards at NACDA's 37th Annual Convention, June 16-19. The ceremony will occur at the NACDA Scholarship Awards Luncheon, presented by Sears, on Tuesday, June 18. Spencer Tillman of CBS Sports will serve as emcee.
Sears Directors' Cup postgraduate scholarships are earmarked for students who have served in an athletics support capacity at four-year institutions. This includes students from the categories of academic support, band members, equipment room managers, facility managers, sports information assistants, student coaches and trainers. Each of the nominees had to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale, demonstrate involvement on the collegiate or community level and maintain full-time status as a senior.
Sears commitment to collegiate athletics stems from its sponsorship of the Sears Collegiate Champions Program, which includes the Sears Directors' Cup, administered by NACDA. The Sears Directors' Cup honors the "all-sports" champion in NCAA Divisions I, II, III and the NAIA and includes both men's and women's sports. To determine the champion, points are awarded based on each institution's finish in a predetermined number of sports. In Division I, 20 sports are used in the standings, 10 for men and 10 for women; Division II, 14 sports, seven for men and seven for women; Division III, 18 sports, nine for each gender; and in the NAIA, 12 sports, six for women and six for men.
Truman is currently ranked third in the Sears Cup standings, before points have been added for national finishes in softball, women's tennis and men's and women's outdoor track and field.
The 16 Sears Directors' Cup Postgraduate winners are:
NCAA Division I
Katherine Brown, Northwestern, Cheerleader, Economics, 3.80
Melissa DiPerri, Towson, Cheerleader, Speech/Language Pathology, 3.93
Joshua Mahan, Kentucky, Sports Info. Asst., Pol. Science/Hist., 4.00
Monica Quinn, Missouri, Academic Support, Psychology, 3.90
NCAA Division II
Laura Dyer, Delta State, Cheerleader, Political Science, 3.96
Burt Iwata, Northern Colo., Assistant Coach, Finance/Mgt/Econ., 4.00
Brandon Kieper, Truman, Sports Info. Asst., Communications, 3.97
Michael Passafiume, Lynn University, Team Manager, Communications, 3.51
NCAA Division III
Kemper Beasley, III, Hampden-Sydney, Sports Info. Asst., History, 3.78
Robyn Bowers, Denison, Sports Info. Asst./Asst. Coach, English Lit./Latin, 4.00
Christopher Goggin, Williams, Sports Info. Asst., Math/Chemistry, 4.07
Terri Travers, Juniata, Assistant Coach, Psychology, 3.80
NAIA
Chet Buchman, McPherson, Sports Infor. Asst., Acct./Bank./Fin., 3.73
Michelle Kennemur, Azusa Pacific, Athletics Trainer, Athletics Training , 3.84
Matthew Swift, Vanguard, Athletics Trainer, Athl. Train./Pre-PT, 3.86
Benjamin Weins, Sioux Falls, Equip. Rm. & Team Mgr, Math, 3.46