ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Senior volleyball player
Nicole Wriedt (Sr., Pewaukee, Wis.) was honored among outstanding NCAA athletes last Friday, as the standout opposite side was announced as a recipient of the NCAA postgraduate scholarship granted to fall student-athletes. Throughout all NCAA divisions, Wriedt was just one of 29 women, including 10 Division III athletes, to receive the $7,500 grant that can be applied to continued education beyond an undergraduate degree.
According to the NCAA, the scholarship is intended to reward the "most accomplished student athletes." To qualify for the award, student-athletes must excel both academically and athletically, be in their final year of eligibility, and plan to pursue graduate studies. Students must also maintain at least a 3.2 GPA and be nominated by their institution's faculty representative.
Wriedt, a Dean's List student over her four years at Bethel and a Presidential Scholar, has maintained a GPA of 3.93, while pursuing a social work and reconciliation studies double-major. Her GPA has also awarded her three MIAC Academic All-Conference selections and helped her team win three American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Awards.
“The process of applying was really helpful because it gave me extra motivation to reflect back on college life and piece together how those experiences could fit into future education and life beyond that,” says Wriedt. “I definitely saw how my parents, my coaches, and my professors have been so influential in encouraging and challenging me through this process!”
The Pewaukee, Wis., native has also showcased leadership characteristics to the outside community and to her teammates. For her leadership, Wriedt was honored as the BU Most Valuable Player from 2009 to 2011 and earned the Leadership Award in 2011.
Furthermore, Wriedt excelled on the court by posting 2.91 kills per set during her senior year, while fighting for .93 digs and .61 blocks per frame. Wriedt finished her four-year tenure playing 421 sets and 116 matches, firing 1,123 kills and sniffing out 278 digs. These statistics helped make Wriedt a MIAC All-Conference player for three consecutive years and an AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention selection in 2011.
Head Volleyball Coach
Gretchen Hunt complimented Wriedt by saying, “The self discipline required, the opportunity to both fail and succeed publicly, the ability to handle multiple competing priorities at one time, and the optimism and persistence necessary to complete a rigorous college season have put her multiple steps ahead of all others within this field.”
Before attending graduate school, Wriedt plans to intern for one year with 10/40 Connections, a non-profit, interdenominational organization that seeks to cultivate connections in a fragmented world, and increase the church's momentum among the least reached peoples. For her internship, Wriedt will assist in fundraising events, volunteer management tasks, and a new campaigns; assist with logistics for international ministry teams; and travel to India, Nepal, Turkey, Greece, and Italy ministering with the Segraves family, the directors of 10/40 Connections.
"This will be an invaluable experience before I enter school in preparation for leadership in global ministry and non-profit work," says Wriedt.
After her internship, Wriedt plans to enroll in the Divinity and Social Work Dual-Degree Program through the partnership of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Duke Divinity School beginning in August 2013.
NCAA Announcement
