Marci Miller Article (USD)

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USD's Marci Miller awarded NCAA postgraduate scholarship


Marci Miller, a May 2005 graduate of The University of South Dakota, is one of 58 student-athletes in the nation to be awarded a postgraduate scholarship this spring by the NCAA.

Miller of Rapid City, is the 10th USD student-athlete since 2000 to receive an NCAA postgraduate scholarship of $7,500. She is among the 29 men and 29 women in NCAA Division I, II and III to receive postgraduate scholarships this spring in the third of the NCAA¹s awarding periods.

³This award won by Marci Miller is another instance of the success attained by student-athletes at The University of South Dakota,² said Joel Nielsen, USD Athletics Director. ³We are proud of the dedication and effort of the student-athletes, who continue to achieve at a high level, both academically and athletically. Marci¹s accomplishment fits into the academic mission of this institution. It is another example of President (James) Abbott¹s commitment to providing an extraordinary academic experience for all USD students,² said Nielsen.

To qualify for the postgraduate scholarship, student-athletes must have main-tained an overall grade point average of 3.2 or its equivalent and performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which a student-athlete was nominated. Candidates were screened by seven regional selection committees and award recipients were then selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

Miller is the only female student-athlete from a North Central Conference institution. She finished with a 3.827 grade point average in communication disorders and psychology at USD, plans to attend graduate school in the fall.

This honor is another in a series of awards that Miller has won this spring and summer. On Tuesday, she was named to the ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All America Track & Field/Cross Country First Team, as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Miller, who was the only repeat selection on the 16-member 2004-05 Academic All-North Central Conference Women¹s Track and Field/Cross Country Team this spring, earned her sixth career All-American honor with a sixth-place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Division II Women¹s Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May.

One of 14 NCC student-athletes selected as an Honor Athlete by the league office earlier this spring, Miller was picked to the all-league academic squad for the third straight year. She was a key contributor for the USD women¹s team which captured its second consecutive NCC outdoor title this spring. By claiming the NCC outdoor title, USD won the ³Triple Crown² in 2004-05 as the Coyotes also claimed women¹s conference championships in cross country and indoor track.

Miller, who had seven top-three finishes in the pole vault at NCC championship meets, was selected the NCC Women¹s Track and Field Athlete of the Week three times this spring. She owns USD¹s outdoor record in the pole vault (12'08.75).

While at USD, Miller co-founded a memorial for deceased students at USD in cooperation with the USD Student Association. Named the USD Female Scholar Athlete of the Year in May, she also served as an academic captain of the track and field squad.