INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Bowling Green State University student-athletes Taylor Jensen and Kale Nichols have been named recipients of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and each will receive a one-time non-renewable $10,000 scholarship.
Jensen, a BGSU gymnastics alumna, will attend Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga., to pursue a master’s degree in architecture with a concentration in high-performance building systems.
Nichols, a Falcon men’s soccer alumnus, earned his undergraduate degree in December of 2022 and began his graduate studies at BGSU during the Spring 2023 semester. Nichols is pursuing a master’s degree in applied statistics with a specialization in business analytics.
Jensen, a native of North Prairie, Wis. (Mukwonago), won the 2023 Mid-American Conference championship on beam, with a personal-record score of 9.9 at the league meet. It was her first MAC individual championship and the first by a Falcon since 2019.
Jensen also finished second on vault with a 9.875 and was named to the MAC All-Tournament team following the championship. She helped BGSU to a fifth-place team finish, the Falcons’ best since 2019 and BG’s team score of 195.450 was the Falcons’ highest since 2018.
Additionally, Jensen was named to the Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, and she earned Academic All-MAC Team honors for the third time in her career.
Jensen has also been named a WCGA (Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association) Scholastic All-American on multiple occasions.
An architecture major, Jensen finished her undergraduate career with a perfect 4.000 cumulative GPA.
“I am incredibly thankful to be honored as a recipient of this scholarship,” said Jensen. “The financial support this provides me as I proceed to graduate school is great.
“The continuous support and guidance the BG athletic and academic staff provide me with is tremendous. It was not only my success at BG they were concerned about, but my future after as well. I am beyond excited to begin the next step toward achieving my dream.
“I will be attending Georgia Tech to earn a master’s degree in architecture and study high-performance building techniques. My goal is to create architecture that conserves energy, utilizes nature and local resources, and serves the surrounding people while representing a culture or idea.
“The power behind a design and the impact of its creation is immense. It is incredible to be supported by the NCAA in my mission to create with meaning.”
Nichols, a native of Bowling Green (Toledo St. John’s Jesuit), was a 2022 team captain, and started all 16 matches. He was named to the Academic All-District Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, earning that honor for the second-straight year.
Nichols had three points on the season, with a game-winning goal and an assist. In addition to earning Academic All-District honors twice, he also was named to the Academic All-Ohio First Team in both 2021 and ‘22, and earned Academic All-MAC Team accolades no fewer than four times.
Nichols played in 75 matches, starting 69, in his BGSU career, and had 21 points on seven goals and seven assists. Arguably the biggest goal as a Falcon came in November of 2021, when he scored the lone goal in BG’s 1-0 win at Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
Nichols graduated in December of 2022. He had a double major of business analytics and intelligence and finance, with a minor in non-profit administration, and maintained a 3.833 cumulative GPA during his undergraduate career.
“I’m extremely honored to be chosen for this scholarship,” said Nichols. “This university has provided me with amazing resources and opportunities that have prepared me well for my next step.
“I have had a lot of help and support from advisors and staff at BGSU to be able to continue my academic journey here.”
The NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in 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 sports season there are 21 scholarships available for men and 21 scholarships available for women for use in an accredited graduate program.
All former student-athletes who earned an undergraduate degree from an NCAA member school are eligible to be nominated by that school for an NCAA graduate degree scholarship, regardless of when they received their undergraduate degree.
