Giusti, Taylor receive Big 12’s Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field’s Nick Giusti and Laura Taylor were among 20 Big 12 student-athletes selected to receive Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarships, announced by the conference office on Thursday.
 
The scholarships are named in honor of the late Dr. Prentice Gautt, a former Big 12 Conference staff member and student services’ pioneer who passed away in March 2005. The list of all-time recipients has grown to 421 since the inception of the league in 1996-97. Starting in 2002-03, additional funding increased scholarship award winners to two per member institution.

To date the Big 12 has provided over $3.1 million for postgraduate education. The individual grants began at $2,500 in 1996-97, were raised to $5,000 in 1999 and increased to $6,900 for 2004-05. The awards climbed to $7,500 in 2006-07, moved to $9,000 in 2011-12 and are now at $10,000 since 2013-14.
 
Giusti graduated with a 3.83 GPA as an exercise science/pre-medicine major. He is a seven-time Athletic Director’s Honor Roll member and a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree. Giusti also received the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award this year.

On the track, Giusti recorded three top-eight finishes at Big 12 Conference meets in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles. He was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is one of the Big 12 SAAC representatives for KU.
 
Giusti will attend the University of Kansas School of Medicine in the fall of 2018.
 
Taylor is a four-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and a three-time Academic All-American. She achieved this excellence in the classroom as an exercise science major, maintaining a 3.92 GPA. This year, Taylor received the Outstanding Woman Student-Athlete Award, presented by the University of Kanas’ Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity. She also received the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award.
 
Taylor has been instrumental in the competitive growth and success of the track & field team. She was the 2018 Big 12 indoor pole vault champion and a First Team All-American. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee where she held the position of Marketing Chair. She plans to attend Physician Assistants school in the fall of 2019.
 
Criteria for the awards includes a cumulative grade point average of 3.200 on a 4.000 scale, participation in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics at the nominee’s respective institution and completion of athletics’ eligibility. The student-athletes also must graduate from their respective member institutions within 15 months of their selection for a postgraduate scholarship and are expected to enroll in graduate/professional schools within two years of graduation. Three faculty representatives, one senior woman administrator and one director of athletics form the selection panel for the awards.
 
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