Massner and Witters Hicks Named SLIAC Post Graduate Scholars
Darby Massner and Shane Witters Hicks have been selected as the 2018 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Post Graduate Scholars. Massner, a women's basketball player from Iowa Wesleyan University, is the first Tiger student-athlete to receive the honor while Witters Hicks, a member of the Principia College cross country and track and field teams, is the first male Panther student-athlete to be awarded the scholarship.
Massner, a Marketing major, completed her Bachelor of Science degree in just three years and holds a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average. She was accepted into the Iowa Wesleyan Master of Arts Management Leadership program and will begin her studies this fall. Massner completed her four-year degree in just three years while also being a member of the Tigers women's basketball team; where she earned All-Conference honors in each of the last two years. In addition to her time in the classroom and on the basketball court, she found time to volunteer in the community. Massner volunteered at the Midwest Old Threshers, Justice for Our Neighbors, Southeast Iowa Special Olympic Spring Games, and served food via Fellowship Cup. She was also a student representative for Iowa Wesleyan's Assessment Committee, participated in the Presidential Leadership Seminar, and been a member of the Iowa Wesleyan Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Earlier this year Massner was named CoSIDA Academic All-America, earning Third Team honors, and is just the third student-athlete from the SLIAC to receive that recognition. This spring she will lead a panel for the Belle Babbs Mansfield Symposium and is currently serving an internship with the United States Department of Agriculture.
Shane Witters Hicks is a Physics major with a 4.0 GPA and recently concluded his standout athletics career earning All-Conference honors in each of his four years including First Team honors in each of the last two. The SLIAC Cross Country Runner of the Year, Witters Hicks qualified for the NCAA Division III nationals this past fall and last spring earned All-America honors in the 3000-meter steeplechase as part of the Track and Field team.
Witters Hicks is just as aggressive in the classroom as he is running. Prior to attending Principia, he reached out to the College's physics department to better prepare himself for pursuing his degree as he began his collegiate academic studies. As a part of his capstone project, Witters Hicks explored the Principia College electric grid, combining his interest and skills in physics with his passion for energy and sustainability. Witters Hicks passion in sustainability led to an internship with National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He also completed an internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Christian Science Monitor.
Witters Hicks has also been involved in the community, serving as Chair of the CSO Outreach Committee; working with the Pere Marquette Illinois Youth Correctional Center. He has also served the speaker at the Principia College Convocation. During summers he has worked as a hiring manager for new counselors at a high-adventure summer camp.
Both Massner and Witters Hicks will be honored at the 2018 SLIAC Awards Banquet on May 15, 2018 at Tapawingo Golf Course.
The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Post Graduate Scholarship is presented to two graduating senior student-athletes each year. Student-athletes are nominated by their institution's Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), must have earned two varsity letters in a sport in which the Conference sponsors a Championship and have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale). Scholarship recipients are selected through a vote of the Conference FARs and receive a scholarship during their first two-years of postgraduate studies.
