Two Hope College winter student-athletes and recent graduates have been awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
Swimmer Emma Schaefer and women’s basketball guard Kenedy Schoonveld are the 31st and 32nd Hope College recipients overall of postgraduate scholarships since 1974.
The NCAA presents up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically, and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
The one-time, non-renewable scholarships of $10,000 are awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring). Each season, there are 21 scholarships available for men and 21 scholarships for women for use in an accredited graduate program.
“It's an honor to be chosen as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient,” Schaefer said. “I think it speaks to the caliber of academics and athletics that Hope College has. It's been a true privilege to have been a student-athlete at Hope for the last several years.”
Added Schoonveld, “It is such an honor to be selected as a recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. I am so excited for the opportunities that this scholarship will give me to be able to further my education.”
Schaefer is the fourth women’s swimmer to be chosen as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. The DeWitt, Michigan native (St. Johns HS) has been accepted into the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Schoonveld is the second member of the women’s basketball team to be selected as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. The Zeeland, Michigan native (Holland Christian HS) has been accepted into Baylor University’s Masters of Social Work program.
Schaefer and Schoonveld are Hope's third and fourth recipients this school year. Volleyball teammates McKenna Otto and Tracy Westra were among the fall selections.
Hope’s NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients
Schaefer earned All-America honors from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America three times during her career.
The two-time Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Most Valuable Swimmer swam to league titles in six individual events during the career.
Schaefer helped the Flying Dutch win MIAA team championships in 2022, 2021 and 2019.
The exercise science major is a candidate to make the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for the fifth time this summer.
“I want to thank my parents and sister for always being there for me both academically and athletically and making sacrifices to support me in each phase of my career,” Schaefer said. “I also want to thank my coaches for challenging me each day to grow as an individual, and supporting my academic and athletic goals.
“Additionally, I want to thank the Hope Athletics community as a whole for their constant support of their student-athletes and aiding individuals to grow in their faith and to be a part of something greater than themselves.
Schoonveld helped the Flying Dutch claim their third national championship this basketball season.
Schoonveld is one of 11 finalists for the Division III Honda Athlete of the Year Award. In March, Schoonveld was named the 2022 WBCA and D3Hoops DIII Player of the Year and also earned the Jostens Trophy, given to the most outstanding women's and men's Division III basketball players of the year.
A three-time WBCA All-American and a five-time MIAA All-Conference first-team selection, she also earned MIAA MVP honors three straight seasons.
Over five seasons, Schoonveld played a team-record 138 games and helped Hope post a 130-8 record during that time, including a 61-game winning streak that tied for the third-longest in Division III history.
The social work major is a candidate to make the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for the fifth time this summer.