Jessica Plant from the University of Minnesota and Campbell Sode from Rutgers University have been chosen as the 2015 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award recipients by the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership. The award is an annual scholarship recognizing one male and one female Big Ten senior student-athlete pursuing a postgraduate degree for achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and leadership.
In recognition of the Big Ten’s leadership in fully integrating athletics into the academic mission of its member institutions, the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership initiated the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award in 2008. Each Big Ten institution was asked to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for 2015, with a $10,000 scholarship awarded to each winner.
The Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award is named for the former Big Ten Conference commissioner who served from 1971-89. While leading the Big Ten, Duke spent much of his time working to improve academic standards and graduation rates for student-athletes. The award is made possible by donations from local corporations and individuals supporting collegiate student-athletes. The Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership is comprised of the State of Indiana, City of Indianapolis, Indiana Sports Corp, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and Visit Indy.
Plant, a swimmer at Minnesota, is a Rhodes Scholarship finalist, two-time Academic All-American, and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. She enters her final undergraduate academic semester with a 4.0 GPA in her coursework toward her art history and classical civilizations degrees.
Plant serves as a member of the University of Minnesota’s Swimming and Diving leadership council and as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council. Her volunteer work includes the MAGIC program, where she leads activities in elementary schools, promoting education and healthy living, and as a Hope Day volunteer, managing games and playing with children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. In 2012, she served as a Golden Eagles volunteer, an after-school program for Native American children in the Minneapolis area.
In the pool, Plant was a member of the Golden Gophers’ 800 freestyle relay team that won the Big Ten title. She is a three-time First-Team All-American and has been named to All-Big Ten first- and second-teams during her career. She was invited to compete for a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team, but declined to continue her academic studies. Plant plans to pursue graduate work in art history and archaeology.
Plant and Sode will be honored during the 44th Annual Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon on Friday, July 31, 2015 in Chicago.
Previous Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award Recipients:
2014: Spencer Long, Nebraska, football; Emily Wong, Nebraska, women’s gymnastics
2013: Sean Fisher, Nebraska, football; Katelyn White, Nebraska, women’s cross country and track and field
2012: Miguel Pineda, Penn State, men’s gymnastics; Margaux Farrell, Indiana, women’s swimming
2011: Mike Torchia, Minnesota, men’s cross country and track and field; Allie Smith, Purdue, women’s swimming
2010: Mark Ison, Northwestern, football; Chelsea Davis, Ohio State, women’s diving
2009: Drew Ratner, Northwestern, men’s soccer; Lauren Mioton, Purdue, women’s basketball
2008: Kevin Trulock, Indiana, football; Molly Crispell, Penn State, women’s swimming
