June 10, 2005
Scholar Athletes of the Year Release in PDF Format
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Post-Graduate Scholarships Release in PDF Format
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SAN BRUNO, Calif., - Pepperdine University's Michael Putnam and Santa Clara University's Megan Kakadelas were named the West Coast Conference Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year, Commissioner Michael Gilleran announced today. Kakadelas is the fourth Santa Clara female student-athlete in the last five years to be selected Scholar Athlete of the Year. Putnam is just the third Pepperdine male student-athlete to be named Scholar Athlete of the Year, the first since 1989, and just the second men's golfer in the history of the conference to earn the distinction.
The highest honor in the WCC is selected by a vote of the WCC's institutional representatives to recognize the finest accomplishments in athletics, academics and community service by individuals who have completed their WCC eligibility.
FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Megan Kakadelas Santa Clara University Soccer 3.82 GPA
In her three years at Santa Clara, Kakadelas excelled on both the playing field and in the classroom. The Carlsbad, Calif. native was instrumental in helping Santa Clara reach the College Cup in 2002 and 2004. Kakadelas, a 2004 first team NSCAA All-American, netted a historic game-winning goal in the Broncos' overtime win over North Carolina in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Kakadelas, who was named the 2001 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year while at USC, transferred to Santa Clara and earned All-WCC distinction in her three seasons at SCU. A skilled playmaker, Kakadelas ended her career with 21 goals and 26 assists for a total of 68 points.
While at Santa Clara, Kakadelas epitomized the term student-athlete. As impressive as Kakadelas was on the pitch, she was equally impressive in the classroom, graduating with a 3.82 in Accounting. For her athletic and academic excellence, Kakadelas was named the 2004 NSCAA/adidas Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. She is just the second Bronco to receive the award, joining former SCU standout Danielle Slaton, who earned the honor in 2001. A two-time All-WCC All-Academic member, Kakadelas was named an Academic All-American in 2003 and 2004. In addition to her athletic and academic commitments, Kakadelas was also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Leavey Scholars, the Accounting Association and Co-Chair of Service Community through her church, which organized community service events in the greater Santa Clara area.
MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Michael Putnam, Pepperdine University - Golf - 3.33 GPA
Putnam capped his brilliant career at Pepperdine as arguably the best golfer in school history. The Tacoma, Wash. native was a three-time All-American, and recently was awarded the prestigious Byron Nelson Award, which is presented to a graduating senior who the selection committee feels has exemplified academic and athletic excellence during their collegiate golf career, while maintaining high character and integrity. Putnam is the second Pepperdine golfer - Jason Allred (2002) was the inaugural recipient - to win the award in its four-year history. Putnam concluded his collegiate career in spectacular fashion as he finished as national runner-up at the NCAA Tournament, qualified for the U.S. Open and helped the United States capture the 2005 Palmer Cup. Putnam leaves Pepperdine as the school's all-time stroke average leader with a 71.69 career average, while his 70.73 stroke average in 2004-05 stands as the lowest single-season average in school history.
Putnam, who will graduate with a 3.33 in Business Administration, is a three-time member of the WCC All-Academic team and a Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Academic All-American. Despite the time demands put on him by academics and athletics, Putnam found time to participate on the Pepperdine Student Advisory Committee the past two years. For the past four years, Putnam has also been an active participant in the Step Forward Day, an outreach program for the local community, and an active member of GOAL, a student-athlete Bible study group.
Portland's Andreas Gahlmann And Santa Clara's Robin Bell Awarded WCC Post-Graduate Scholarships
The West Coast Conference is proud to announce the University of Portland's Andreas Gahlmann and Santa Clara University's Robin Bell as the winners of the WCC Post-Graduate Scholarship award, as announced by Commissioner Michael Gilleran.
Bell is no stranger to athletic and academic success. She is graduating from Santa Clara University with an amazing 3.96 Grade Point Average (GPA) in mechanical engineering with Summa Cum Laude distinction. The Spokane, Wash. native was a three-time WCC All-Academic member and a four-time member of Santa Clara's School of Engineering Dean's List. A four-year letterwinner and two-time team captain on the Broncos' cross country team, Bell led SCU to four top four finishes at the WCC Championships, including the program's first-ever conference title in 2001. Bell was named the 2001 WCC Freshman of the Year and earned All-WCC first team honors in 2001 and 2003, and honorable mention status in 2002. In 2004, Bell was awarded the Santa Clara Cross Country Commitment Award. She guided the Broncos to four consecutive NCAA West Regionals during her time at SCU. Bell will be attending Stanford University in the Fall of 2005.
Gahlmann graduated from the University of Portland with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. Gahlmann's cumulative GPA was an impressive 3.77. In 2005, Gahlmann was named to the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete team. In addition, Gahlmann is a two-time WCC All-Academic member and was named to the Dean's List all four years at Portland. In 2004, Gahlmann earned UP's William Wilson Chemistry Award. Gahlmann played in 68 games, starting 46 of them, earning three varsity letters while on the Bluff. This past season, Gahlmann started 29 of the Pilots' 30 games, helping Portland to its best record since the 1995-96 season. Gahlmann will be attending Cal Tech in the Fall of 2005.
Committed to promoting the educational experience and academic achievements of its student-athletes, the WCC provides one male and one female student-athlete with a scholarship to assist them in their graduate school or professional school education. Candidates must own a minimum 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, demonstrate a significant athletic contribution on the varsity athletic level in a WCC sponsored sport and participate in a WCC sport for a minimum of two years. In addition, candidates must have a record of participating in campus or community activities, completed their athletic eligibility, and competed in intercollegiate athletics in the academic year in which they are nominated.