Four College of Education student-athletes have earned the 2023-24 Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar Award.
Kendall Bostic, a graduate student in Special Education, earned special recognition as a student with a 4.0 GPA. Bostic, a member of the Women's Basketball team, was also named academic All-Big Ten, received the Big Ten Medal of Honor, and was named to the All-Big Ten Second team.
Sydney Stephens, '24 Early Childhood Education, was also recognized for a 4.0 GPA. Stephens, who plays on the soccer team, was an academic All-Big Ten and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
Jessica McDowell, a graduate student in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, and a member of the Women's Track & Field Team, was Academic All-Big Ten, First Team All-Big Ten, and was a Big Ten Champion in the Indoor 200m and Outdoor 400m, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 400m and 4x100m.
Another Women's Track and Field Team member, Mia Morello, Elementary Education, was also named Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. The Sophomore earned Academic All-Big Ten and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the Pole Vault.
Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full-time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters), and must have earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 or better during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student's academic career.
