ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University distance runner Jerry Ricker has been awarded the South Atlantic Conference's Bob McCloskey Insurance (BMI) Postgraduate Scholarship, announced league officials on Friday.
Ricker, a senior from Kingsport, Tennessee, was a member of the Tusculum cross country and track and field teams. A sport science major with a coaching minor, Ricker owns a 3.56 cumulative GPA and has served in numerous leadership roles throughout his collegiate career, including Resident Assistant, Cross Country Team Captain, Orientation Leader, Summer Bridge Peer Mentor, and Student Government Association Senior Class Representative.
Ricker has also worked extensively in mentoring and student support roles as a tutor and mentor with TRIO Student Support Services while assisting first-generation and at-risk college students. He has served as an Upward Bound Program staff member, substitute teacher, and afterschool tutor while earning recognition as the recipient of the James E. Ward Future Professional Award. He was also named Junior Homecoming Prince, Senior Homecoming King, and earned the Tusculum School Spirit Award in addition to multiple SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll selections.
On the course, Ricker recorded a top-10 finish at the 2022 Walters State Invitational and earned an 11th-place finish at the 2023 Walters State Invitational. He plans to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching at Tusculum University while continuing to serve as a graduate assistant with the cross country program.
"The SAC is extremely appreciative of the continued support from Bob McCloskey Insurance in providing these postgraduate scholarships," said Commissioner Patrick Britz. "Jerry has demonstrated tremendous dedication to excellence both in competition and in the classroom throughout his collegiate career. The Conference is proud to recognize his accomplishments and leadership, and we look forward to seeing all he achieves in his postgraduate studies and future career."
"We are honored to be able to help support the student-athletes of the South Atlantic Conference," Peter Ginnegar, Senior Vice President of BMI stated. "We know that the cost of higher education can be difficult to manage, but we hope these scholarships will allow these deserving student-athletes the opportunity to complete their degrees."
The BMI postgraduate scholarships are awarded to SAC student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and have completed their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Ricker will receive a one-time, non-renewable scholarship of $3,000 toward graduate school.
