University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee's Sarah Bowman Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
July 21, 2009 | Women's Track
July 21, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The honors just continue to roll in for University of Tennessee track & field/cross country standout Sarah Bowman. The most recent recognition bestowed on her is of the monetary variety, as she has been awarded a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
The Warrenton, Va., native completed her bachelor's degree in business with emphasis in human resource management in May, finishing with a 3.87 grade point average. She is one of 29 women during the spring sports season to earn a one-time, non-renewable grant of $7500 toward her pursuit of a post-graduate degree.
The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually - 87 for women and 87 for men. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically, and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
The scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership, are evaluated.
Bowman has earned back-to-back recognitions as both the USTFCCCA Division I National Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She also has garnered ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America acclaim the past two years and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV distinction in each of the past three seasons. Additionally, she is a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Athletically, Bowman led Tennessee to an NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championship in 2009 and SEC Indoor Track & Field titles in 2007 and 2009 as well as an SEC Championship and an NCAA South Regional crown in cross country during the 2005 campaign. Along the way, she garned 10 All-America certificates, with nine coming in track & field and the other in cross country.
Bowman was a three-time national champion on the oval. She anchored the distance medley relay team to victory in 2008 and 2009, breaking world, American, collegiate, meet and school records as senior. Bowman claimed her first individual crown in 2009, as well, winning the mile in a meet- and school-record clocking.
At the SEC level, Bowman won 12 conference titles and tied LaVonna Martin for the most in UT history. She became the first league woman to claim three consecutive SEC Championships indoors in the mile, 3000m and distance medley relay. She also won the SEC 1500 meters outdoors in 2006, 2008 and 2009 and was named the SEC's 2009 Indoor Runner of the Year and the recipient of the 2009 Cliff Harper Trophy, given to the league's female high-point scorer at the indoor meet.
In cross country, Bowman became the first All-American during the J.J. Clark era, finishing 36th at the 2008 NCAA Championships. She also earned All-SEC acclaim four times and was chosen All-South Region on three occasions in helping Tennessee make NCAA Championship appearances in 2005 and 2006 while qualifying individually as a senior.
