INDIANAPOLIS – Augustana wrestler Ben Kelvington has been awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship the NCAA recently announced.
The NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The one-time $10,000 award is given three times a year, corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring).
Kelvington, the NCAA Elite 90 winner and NSIC Elite 18 winner for holding the highest GPA at each championship event, was nominated by Dr. Marcia Entwistle, the Augustana faculty athletics representative (FAR).
“Ben exemplifies what it means to be an Augustana student-athlete,” Dr. Entwistle said. “Ben is a gifted athlete, talented scientific researcher, and impactful leader.”
Kelvington is the 38th Postgraduate Scholar for Augustana all-time and is the 13th awardee since 2010. He is also the 10th Augustana wrestler to earn the award and the sixth under head coach Jason Reitmeier.
“I am really proud of Ben,” Reitmeier said. “It has been a storybook year for him, earning All-America honors, becoming a national qualifier, earning the Elite 90 award along with All-NSIC and NWCA academic honors.
“He has done it all this year, and I am not surprised he won this award, too.”
The native of Jordan, Minnesota, completed his final campaign as a national qualifier before the championships were canceled due to COVID-19. At the 174-pound weight level, Kelvington was ranked No. 9 in the nation heading into the championships and earned Second Team All-NSIC accolades. He tallied a 15-5 overall record and won the Jimmie Open.
Ben will be attending the University of Iowa in the fall.
“I will be pursuing a Ph.D. in the pharmacology program,” Kelvington said. “The department has a large emphasis on neuroscience, and I hope to focus my studies toward Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID).”
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Mission Statement
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage graduate education by rewarding the Association’s most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership are evaluated. An equitable approach is employed in reviewing an applicant’s nomination form to provide all student-athlete nominees an opportunity to receive the graduate award, regardless of sport, division, gender or race. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through graduate study.
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