BATON ROUGE — LSU senior diver Hali Saucier has recorded another academic accolade as she was named a recipient of the NCAA’s Postgraduate Scholarship, the organization announced on Thursday.
Saucier, a native of Gig, Harbor, Wash., has been awarded a scholarship of $7,500 to further her education. Saucier carries a 3.95 grade point average in kinesiology, and she plans on beginning nursing school this fall at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash.
“I’m very proud of Hali being recognized as one of the top student-athletes in the nation,” said diving coach Doug Shaffer. “She has been an outstanding role model throughout her career at LSU. She has been excellent in the classroom and on the diving board.”
Saucier is one of 58 student-athletes across the nation — 29 male and 29 female — to receive NCAA postgraduate scholarships as a winter-sport honoree. She is one of 10 swimming and diving participants in the country to earn the honor, and Saucier represents the only LSU student-athlete to receive the scholarship this semester.
Saucier is also one of three Southeastern Conference winter sport participants on the list, joining Georgia swimmer Claire Maust and Auburn diver Stephen Segerlin.
Saucier has received numerous academic honors throughout her career, making her one of one of the most decorated student-athletes in LSU history. The NCAA award marks the second postgraduate scholarship she has received. Last March, Saucier was LSU’s female nominee for the SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholarship, which carries $5,000 to the institution of her choice.
She is a four-time member of the SEC Honor Roll and was named to the SEC Good Works Team. Saucier has twice been named to the LSU Director’s Cup, and she is a two-time recipient of the Wally Pontiff Jr. Academic Excellence Award for her contributions in the classroom and the community.
In the winter of 2006, Saucier received the highest honor of any female student-athlete at the university as she was named the Tiger Athletic Foundation LSU Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Saucier put the finishing touches on her athletic career last March with first-team All-America honors in the platform at the 2007 NCAA Championships. She was a triple finalist at the 2007 SEC Championships, and she became the first LSU diver to win a regional title since 2003 when she captured the 3-meter springboard at the 2007 NCAA Zone B Championships.
In addition to the winter sport honorees, the NCAA also awards 116 postgraduate scholarships to student-athletes participating in fall and spring sports in which the NCAA conducts championships or participates in as an emerging sport, for a total of 174 postgraduate scholarships annually.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association’s most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership, are evaluated.
In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study in an accredited graduate degree program.