Boucher, Kraus Awarded Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarships

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced Friday the 24 outstanding Pac-12 student-athletes who have been named recipients of Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year and Ian Boucher (Nordic skiing) and Mikela Kraus (soccer) from the University of Colorado were among the recipients.

The scholarships, worth $9,000 each, are awarded to up to two student-athletes from each Pac-12 school annually. These worthy student-athletes maintained a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and demonstrated a commitment to education, campus and community involvement, and leadership.

To be selected for a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship, a student-athlete must have:

•Maintained an overall undergraduate minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 (based on a 4.00 scale);
•Completed his/her final season of intercollegiate athletics eligibility in all sports or be in his/her final year of undergraduate study, having exhausted athletics eligibility in all sports;
•Been accepted to or already be enrolled as a full-time student in a graduate or professional program at an accredited institution, or in a postgraduate program for which an undergraduate degree is required for admission;
•Performed with distinction as a member of a varsity team; and
•Exemplified behavior, both in competition and beyond, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution, and intercollegiate athletics.

"We congratulate this year's exceptional recipients as they continue their academic endeavors in a wide variety of fields," said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. "The Pac-12 is committed to helping our student-athletes achieve academic excellence and we are excited to see how these young women and men accomplish their goals and impact their communities in the near future."

Boucher is graduating in August 2018 with his bachelor's degree in finance/accounting. Serving as a co-president of CU's student-athlete advisory committee this past school year (2017-18), he was selected to attend the Pac-12's SALT (student-athlete leadership team) meetings in San Francisco in late October 2017, meeting with 11 other athletes from the conference (one from every other school) and league/university administrators to discuss legislative details student-athletes would like to see changed in the conference. He is set to enroll in CU's grad program in accounting and data analytics.

In competition, he was a member of CU's 2015 NCAA national championship ski team and appeared in 39 races over his career.

Kraus will attend law school next year at the University of San Diego. Studying sociology at CU as an undergrad and playing soccer for the Buffs from 2013-16, Kraus was a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention selection. A midfielder, Kraus helped the Buffs to one of their best seasons in school history her senior year in 2016, which led to an NCAA Tournament appearance and a second-place finish in the Pac-12. She started nine games as a center back that year, including both of CU's NCAA tournament matches.

In 1999, the Postgraduate Scholarship Program was created to both honor and financially assist some of the Conference's most outstanding athletes and scholars as they continue their educations and prepare for careers in their chosen industries. The Pac-12 annually awards up to 24 scholarships of $9,000 each to former and graduating student-athletes across the conference. Through its institutional selection process, each Pac-12 institution may select two student-athletes to be awarded the scholarship.

Boucher, Kraus Awarded Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarships

Players Mentioned

Ian Boucher

Related Videos