STATE COLLEGE, Pa., March 4, 2004 - Penn State women's soccer standout, Joanna Lohman, has been awarded a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
A senior midfielder, Lohman (Silver Spring, Md.) becomes the 38th Penn State student-athletes to receive the NCAA Scholarship; the fourth in the past two years. She is the first member of the Nittany Lion women's soccer program to earn the honor.
Lohman will receive a $7,500 grant for postgraduate study at the university of professional school of her choice. She is a business management major with a 3.98 grade point average.
The NCAA awarded a total of 58 postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 29 men and 29 women who participated in fall sports in all three NCAA divisions. To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.200 (on a 4.000 scale) or its equivalent and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics.
Runner-up for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy for National Player of the Year, Lohman also was named an NSCAA All-American last season for the third-straight year. She also was selected one of Soccer America's MVP's and a SoccerTimes.com first team All-American.
One of only a trio of three-time All-Americans in Penn State history, Lohman put up incredible numbers in the central midfield en route to earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and was last season's only unanimous selection for first team All-Big Ten honors. Netting 19 goals, including four in the postseason, Lohman added six assists and converted a team-high eight game-winning goals, to break the Penn State senior season record.
Lohman finished her brilliant career in the top 10 of every Penn State career list: No. 5 all-time in goals scored (41), No. 2 in assists (37) and No. 4 in points (119). In addition to her conference player of the year honors, Lohman also became one of the first three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selections, was named the NSCAA's first back-to-back Scholar Athlete of the Year, and was selected first-team all-Mid Atlantic Region in 2003. She also was named one of four finalists for the Collegiate Women's Sports Award for women's soccer.
Led by Coach Paula Wilkins, the Penn State women's soccer team finished the 2003 season 19-3-3 overall, 9-1 in the Big Ten, and received the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, highest ever in the program's 10-year history. The six-time defending Big Ten champions made their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals this past season.
