Standout Clark Nabs Academic Honor

By the time she walked off the awards podium at the NCAA Championships last month, Rebecca Clark's incredible gymnastics career had spanned over 20 years. Her journey has taken her to the highest level of competition, to different countries and to the top of the podium with the Sooners.

While at Oklahoma, she recorded an accomplished career while graduating early with a degree in accounting and beginning her masters program in 2015.

This week, the NCAA recognized Clark for her academic and athletic achievements by awarding her the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The $7,500 scholarship is granted to honorees across the nation in fall, winter and spring categories. She is the second Oklahoma gymnast in as many years to win the scholarship, joining 2014 honoree Lara Albright.

The Blue Springs, Mo., native was a two-time gold medalist member of the U.S. Senior National Team and competed internationally representing the United States as an elite level gymnast. She appeared at the VISA Championships three times, in Italy at the Grand Prix and at Pac Rims in California.

At Oklahoma, Clark overcame a near-career-ending knee injury to become one of the Sooners' most accomplished performers on bars and beam. She aided OU to its first NCAA Championship in 2014 and was a two-time NCAA All-American, a two-time regular season All-American and a two-time Big 12 Champion. She captured prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a sophomore and was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Clark has also been actively involved in the community and on campus during her time at Oklahoma. She participated in the annual Sooners 4 Haiti mission trip last summer and served on the leadership team for OU's chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). She has also taken part in multiple community service projects, including visits to the OU Children's Hospital.

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship is awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. First granted in 1964, the scholarship is given to a maximum of 174 student-athletes over the course of each academic year. Twenty-nine men and twenty-nine women each fall, winter and spring are awarded the scholarship.

Players Mentioned

Lara Albright

Rebecca Clark

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics