Mitchell, Siedhoff Earn Big Ten Scholarships

Nebraska's Grace Mitchell (women's basketball) and Husker Male Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Luke Siedhoff (track and field) have been selected as recipients of 2020 Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarships, the University of Nebraska Athletic Department announced on Thursday, April 30.

Two student-athletes who plan to continue their educations in graduate degree programs from each of the 14 Big Ten institutions were awarded $7,500 scholarships through the conference, based primarily on academic achievements.

Mitchell, a 6-2 forward from Wellington, Kan., claimed her second major postgraduate scholarship in two weeks, joining her N-Club Postgraduate Scholarship ($2,500), which was announced on April 16. Mitchell was a four-time letterwinner who played in 107 games during her Husker women's basketball career under Coach Amy Williams. The nutrition and health sciences major was a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She was Nebraska's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner for women's basketball in 2020, and claimed a prestigious Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award in 2019. Mitchell will close her career as a four-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. Mitchell is expected to earn her undergraduate degree from Nebraska in December and plans to attend the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Siedhoff, a senior from Crete, Neb., earned his second major academic honor of the week following his Male Student-Athlete-of-the-Year award at Nebraska's virtual "Night at the Lied" (April 28). An All-American in the 110-meter outdoor hurdles in both 2018 and 2019 for Coach Gary Pepin's program, Siedhoff placed first or second in the 60-meter hurdles in five of six meets during the 2020 indoor season, including a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships in February. Siedhoff, a two-time Big Ten runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles, also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2018 and 2019, placing seventh in the 110-meter hurdles in 2018 on his way to first-team All-America honors. In the classroom, he is a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten performer. He is a nine-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll and a three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic team member. He will graduate in May with a double major in biological sciences and Spanish.

Each Big Ten institution has developed its own on-campus selection process when awarding the postgraduate scholarships. Students must maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point-average, demonstrate leadership qualities, serve as excellent role models and intend to continue their academic work in a graduate degree program. The recipients must be accepted into a full-time graduate degree program within three years from the fall semester after their selection.