Sappleton Receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

NORMAN, Okla. Aldwyn Sappleton, who is completing his career as a member of the Sooner track and field teams, became the third student-athlete from the track and field program in the last six years to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Sappleton was one of 56 student-athletes nationally to receive the $7,500 scholarship following his participation in the 2005 indoor track and field season.

The NCAA awards postgraduate scholarships three times each year, after the fall, winter and spring sports seasons. In addition to the winter sport honorees, another 114 men and women receive scholarships following their participation in the fall and spring seasons.

To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.200 (on a 4.000 scale) or its equivalent and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics. The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.

Nominated by campus faculty athletic representatives, candidates are screened by seven regional selection committees, and the award recipients are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

Sappleton is a four-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree in track and field and is a two-time conference academic honoree in cross country. He received the 2005 Coca Cola Community All-American award for excellence in community service. He has been named to three consecutive U.S Track Coaches Association Academic All-Star teams and is a four-time NCAA All-American.

He has won two Big 12 titles, including the indoor 800-meter title in February 2005. He was an NCAA Indoor All-American in the 800 in 2005 and set a school record in the 800 with a 1:47.43. That time ranked as the fastest in the nation for more than three weeks.

Sappleton received the 2005 OU Athletics Council Service Award and served the 2004-2005 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as vice-president for communication.

A native of Clarendon, Jamaica, Sappleton completed his undergraduate degree in May 2004, finishing with a 3.25 GPA in a double major of international business and economics. He is now pursuing a master's of business administration with an emphasis on international business.

The postgraduate scholarship for Sappleton was the first of a number of academic awards produced by the 2005 Sooner track and field teams.

A total of 10 men and nine women earned first team Academic All-Big 12 honors and three Sooners were named to the second team.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, first team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his/her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation also are eligible.

Those named included Aldwyn Sappleton, who became a four-time honoree, and Jackie Dubois, Kris Glenn, Emily Leonard, Kelsey Moore, and Dan Strong, who were three-time selections in track and field.

First-team honorees included Katie Blue, junior, business, Midwest City, Okla.; Kevin Bookout, redshirt sophomore, University College, Stroud, Okla.; Andrea Bonner, sophomore, health and exercise science, Tulsa, Okla.; Jason Coleman, sophomore, architecture, Watonga, Okla.; Kristi Cook, sophomore, business, Flower Mound, Texas; Andrew Crabbe, senior, zoology-biomedical sciences, Grand Prairie, Texas; Blake Culp, junior, management, Bartlesville, Okla.; Cale Drumright, sophomore, sociology-criminology, Ottawa, Kan.; Dubois, senior, meteorology, Lawrence, Kan.; Glenn, senior, journalism, Healdton, Okla.; Myria Houlihan, junior, journalism, Dallas, Texas; Tiffani Johnson, sophomore, University College, Tulsa, Okla.; Leonard, senior, finance, Plano, Texas; Moore, senior, health and exercise science, Yukon, Okla.; Catherine Odell, sophomore, language arts, Enid, Okla.; Sappleton, graduate student, business administration, Clarendon, Jamaica; Tyler Schmiedeberg, redshirt freshman, health and exercise science, Edmond, Okla.; Strong, Sr., English, Enid, Okla.; and Stephen Taylor, redshirt freshman, chemistry, Edmond, Okla.

Second-team honorees included Dax Thomas, junior, sociology, Enid, Okla.; Natasha Franklin, junior, communication, Austin, Texas; and Terrika Warren, junior, psychology, Dallas, Texas

Drumright received special recognition for earning a 4.0 grade point average for the spring 2004 and fall 2004 semesters.

Sappleton and several other of the honorees will compete in the 2005 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships Friday and Saturday at the John Jacobs Track Complex.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sappleton Receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

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