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March 8, 2010

2009 Season - Westemeyer is 24th NCAA Postgraduate Scholar

The impressive list of athletic and academic awards for Augustana’s Blaine Westemeyer (Blue Valley Northwest HS, Overland Park, Kansas) just continues to grow. The latest addition to his collection of honors is the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The $7,500-dollar grant is awarded by the NCAA to “student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.”

Westemeyer was one of just 25 athletes in all of the NCAA to earn the scholarship for the 2009-10 fall sports season. Only 12 football players, and just three from NCAA Division III institutions, were awarded the grants this year. Westemeyer becomes the 24th Augustana athlete to win the scholarship.

The winner of this year’s Gagliardi Trophy, given to the NCAA Division III football player who shows the best combination of athletic prowess, academic excellence and community involvement, Westemeyer is a biochemistry major who carries a 3.93 grade points average. He will graduate Summa Cum Laude in May.

A two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America selection, Westemeyer was one of just 16 players across all NCAA and NAIA divisions to win the William V. Campbell Postgraduate Scholarship, awarded in December by the National Football Foundation. He is also the only three-time winner of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin’s Jack Schwartz award and was a four-time academic all-conference selection.

The 6’5”, 280-pound offensive tackle was a consensus All-American, winning first team honors from D3Football.com, the American Football Coaches Association and the Associated Press Little All-American team as a senior. He was an AFCA first team selection as a junior as well. He was also a three-time first team CCIW all-conference honoree.

AUGUSTANA ATHLETES WHO HAVE EARNED NCAA POST GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS