Northwestern University Athletics
Abelsky, Wetherbee Earn Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships
5/11/2017 11:05:00 AM | Baseball, General, Women's Fencing
EVANSTON, Ill. — A pair of Northwestern University student-athletes, Julia Abelsky of fencing and Cooper Wetherbee of baseball, have been awarded Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships, the conference office announced Thursday.
Two student-athletes from each of the 14 Big Ten institutions who plan to continue their educations were awarded a $7,500 scholarship based on their academic achievement.
Abelsky will graduate in June with a degree in statistics and a certificate in entrepreneurship. In 2016, she won the Arthur Ashe Scholar Award, given to undergraduate student-athletes of color that have a GPA over 3.2 and are active in their communities. Abelsky followed that impressive honor by receiving a Congressional Medal, awarded to young Americans, ages 14-23, who dedicate 400 hours to community service, 200 hours to professional development and attend a five-day expedition.
Following graduation, Abelsky is moving to San Francisco, California, to join LinkedIn in its strategy and analytics rotational program. She eventually plans to earn a graduate degree to accelerate her vision of making an impact by leveraging data insights across the non-profit sector.
"I want to thank Laurie and the NU athletics department for making the past four years absolutely incredible," said Abelsky. "I am looking forward to what the future holds for me, but know that I will forever be a Wildcat."
Abelsky finished 206-101 in her career, which ranks seventh all-time in program history for sabre wins. She was 33-17 in duals this season and tied for third in the individual sabre event at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships. The Sandy Springs, Georgia, native qualified for the NCAA Championships as a freshman.
Wetherbee is double majoring in economics and environmental sciences, while also earning a minor in transportation and logistics. After graduation, Wetherbee plans on moving to Washington, D.C., to work in consulting. A Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award recipient, Wetherbee is interested in working with environmental regulations and consumer behavior, specifically how policymakers can create incentives that drive a transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
"It's an honor to represent Northwestern as one of this year's Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipients, and I am grateful for the opportunity to engage in postgraduate study in the future," said Wetherbee. "I plan to eventually pursue a joint MBA-MS environmental science degree, as I continue to explore how policymakers and business can work to create a more sustainable world."
After spending his freshman and sophomore years with Northwestern's marching band and club baseball team, Wetherbee walked-on to the varsity team as a left-handed relief pitcher. The Piedmont, California, native has shown dramatic improvement from year one to year two. In 2016, Wetherbee appeared in 17 games, throwing 28.1 innings with 13 strikeouts and a 8.89 ERA. This season, he has emerged in the Wildcats' starting rotation and has appeared in 16 games, tossing 46.1 innings with 31 strikeouts and a team-best 2.91 ERA.
In order to be eligible, student-athletes must have maintained at least a 3.2 GPA, demonstrated leadership qualities, served as an excellent role model and intend to continue their academic work in a graduate degree program.
The scholarship will be used to pay expenses of the student's postgraduate education to include such activities as research and teaching, as well as other expenses such as tuition, fees, room and board, required course-related supplies and books. In order to retain the scholarship, the recipient must be accepted into a full-time graduate degree program within three years from the fall semester after selection.
Two student-athletes from each of the 14 Big Ten institutions who plan to continue their educations were awarded a $7,500 scholarship based on their academic achievement.
Abelsky will graduate in June with a degree in statistics and a certificate in entrepreneurship. In 2016, she won the Arthur Ashe Scholar Award, given to undergraduate student-athletes of color that have a GPA over 3.2 and are active in their communities. Abelsky followed that impressive honor by receiving a Congressional Medal, awarded to young Americans, ages 14-23, who dedicate 400 hours to community service, 200 hours to professional development and attend a five-day expedition.
Following graduation, Abelsky is moving to San Francisco, California, to join LinkedIn in its strategy and analytics rotational program. She eventually plans to earn a graduate degree to accelerate her vision of making an impact by leveraging data insights across the non-profit sector.
"I want to thank Laurie and the NU athletics department for making the past four years absolutely incredible," said Abelsky. "I am looking forward to what the future holds for me, but know that I will forever be a Wildcat."
Abelsky finished 206-101 in her career, which ranks seventh all-time in program history for sabre wins. She was 33-17 in duals this season and tied for third in the individual sabre event at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships. The Sandy Springs, Georgia, native qualified for the NCAA Championships as a freshman.
Wetherbee is double majoring in economics and environmental sciences, while also earning a minor in transportation and logistics. After graduation, Wetherbee plans on moving to Washington, D.C., to work in consulting. A Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award recipient, Wetherbee is interested in working with environmental regulations and consumer behavior, specifically how policymakers can create incentives that drive a transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
"It's an honor to represent Northwestern as one of this year's Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipients, and I am grateful for the opportunity to engage in postgraduate study in the future," said Wetherbee. "I plan to eventually pursue a joint MBA-MS environmental science degree, as I continue to explore how policymakers and business can work to create a more sustainable world."
After spending his freshman and sophomore years with Northwestern's marching band and club baseball team, Wetherbee walked-on to the varsity team as a left-handed relief pitcher. The Piedmont, California, native has shown dramatic improvement from year one to year two. In 2016, Wetherbee appeared in 17 games, throwing 28.1 innings with 13 strikeouts and a 8.89 ERA. This season, he has emerged in the Wildcats' starting rotation and has appeared in 16 games, tossing 46.1 innings with 31 strikeouts and a team-best 2.91 ERA.
In order to be eligible, student-athletes must have maintained at least a 3.2 GPA, demonstrated leadership qualities, served as an excellent role model and intend to continue their academic work in a graduate degree program.
The scholarship will be used to pay expenses of the student's postgraduate education to include such activities as research and teaching, as well as other expenses such as tuition, fees, room and board, required course-related supplies and books. In order to retain the scholarship, the recipient must be accepted into a full-time graduate degree program within three years from the fall semester after selection.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Fencing
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