SE: Coffman Leaves K-State with Pair of Prestigious Post-Graduate Scholarships
Aug 05, 2019 | Track & Field, Sports Extra, Athlete Services
By Corbin McGuire
All of it was unexpected, but Morgan Coffman tried anyway.
This sentence holds as true for Coffman's track and field career at K-State as it does for how she landed an NCAA postgraduate scholarship worth $10,000 a few weeks ago — her second $10,000 scholarship this year.
Determination, just enough self-belief and hard work were key in both for Coffman, who's about to start pursuing her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Northern Arizona's Phoenix campus.
Coffman went through the rigorous application process for the NCAA's postgraduate scholarship for winter sports, which included a nomination from K-State Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Be Stoney; references from a coach, academic advisor and professor; a list of academic and athletic achievements; and an essay.
In May, Coffman found out she had not been chosen.
"I was bummed about it," she said.
But not deterred.
Coffman decided to apply again for the spring sports period. She went back to each person she used as a reference, including K-State Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Cliff Rovelto, for a revised letter.
"I felt bad because I had to ask all these people again," Coffman said. "But they said, 'Yeah, we'd love to.'"
The second application was going smooth until it was time to submit. Then, a hiccup in the application system came up on Coffman's way back from a vacation in Colorado. Even worse, she was in a bad cell reception area while trying to fix the issue. Worse than that, her phone was about to die.
Coffman was fortunate in one way. She said Stoney "put a lot of effort in" to help figure out the solution. Thirty minutes before the submission deadline, Coffman got hers in while on I-70.
"It was a mess," said Coffman, "but when I got (the scholarship), I was, like, 'I'm so glad we tried so hard to get this.'"
As stressful as the application process was for the scholarship, Coffman said she enjoyed the essay portion because it allowed her to reflect on her time at K-State. The essay asked applicants to assess how being a student-athlete impacted their life and academic pursuit.
"I think the main things I took away were a lot of perseverance, but also confidence and not being afraid to fail, and just always putting your best effort forth," said Coffman, the second Wildcat ever to win an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.
Coffman's one complaint about the essay? It was limited to one page. She said she needed more room to share all the ways her time at K-State helped her academically.
To start, she wanted to add in how being a student-athlete allowed her to build strong relationships with professors. Traveling so much for competitions started this.
"When I went and talked to them about when I was missing class, I felt like they got to know me better," she said, "but I also felt like, because they knew me better, I wanted to perform better."
Coffman certainly performed well in the classroom.
A three-time Academic All-Big 12 pick, she earned CoSIDA Google Cloud First Team Academic All-America honors this past year when she posted a 4.0 GPA. The former walk-on who turned into a regular on the Big 12 podium also landed on the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2017, she received the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the highest academic honor any student-athlete in the Big 12 can receive.
Coffman stressed that she could not have done any of it without all the help she found in the Student-Athlete Enhancement Center in the Vanier Family Football Complex.
"That building helped me so much," she said. "As far as studying at my house, it's so hard because, when everyone's around you don't want to study, so going to study hall and being dedicated to getting stuff done, that building helped there. Then, also tutoring. Some people have talked about how tutoring is only for people that really need it. No… tutoring, for some of those harder classes, was definitely helpful."
Coffman, who graduated with dual bachelor of science degrees in life science and business administration, also commended her academic counselor, Marissa Edwards, for her guidance. Edwards nominated Coffman for her other $10,000 educational win, the 2017-18 Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship that was announced in early June.
"Totally unexpected," Coffman, one of 20 Big 12 student-athletes to earn the scholarship, said. "When that got announced, it was crazy because I was sitting in Arrow Coffee and had an excel spreadsheet open, trying to figure out my budget."
When Coffman got the NCAA scholarship, her graduate school budget got a lot more manageable. She said the pair of $10,000 scholarships should nearly cover her first two semesters at Northern Arizona, where she said she should finish in December 2021.
"I'm overjoyed to received it. It's just another thing K-State Athletics has contributed. The blessings of being a student-athlete at K-State, it's enormous," she said. "I was just thinking about how much joy I've gotten just from competing and practicing with the team, but then the benefits financially are overwhelming.
"I'm super blessed to have K-State and be a K-State alum now."
All of it was unexpected, but Morgan Coffman tried anyway.
This sentence holds as true for Coffman's track and field career at K-State as it does for how she landed an NCAA postgraduate scholarship worth $10,000 a few weeks ago — her second $10,000 scholarship this year.
Determination, just enough self-belief and hard work were key in both for Coffman, who's about to start pursuing her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Northern Arizona's Phoenix campus.
Coffman went through the rigorous application process for the NCAA's postgraduate scholarship for winter sports, which included a nomination from K-State Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Be Stoney; references from a coach, academic advisor and professor; a list of academic and athletic achievements; and an essay.
In May, Coffman found out she had not been chosen.
"I was bummed about it," she said.
But not deterred.
Coffman decided to apply again for the spring sports period. She went back to each person she used as a reference, including K-State Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Cliff Rovelto, for a revised letter.
"I felt bad because I had to ask all these people again," Coffman said. "But they said, 'Yeah, we'd love to.'"
The second application was going smooth until it was time to submit. Then, a hiccup in the application system came up on Coffman's way back from a vacation in Colorado. Even worse, she was in a bad cell reception area while trying to fix the issue. Worse than that, her phone was about to die.
Coffman was fortunate in one way. She said Stoney "put a lot of effort in" to help figure out the solution. Thirty minutes before the submission deadline, Coffman got hers in while on I-70.
"It was a mess," said Coffman, "but when I got (the scholarship), I was, like, 'I'm so glad we tried so hard to get this.'"
As stressful as the application process was for the scholarship, Coffman said she enjoyed the essay portion because it allowed her to reflect on her time at K-State. The essay asked applicants to assess how being a student-athlete impacted their life and academic pursuit.
"I think the main things I took away were a lot of perseverance, but also confidence and not being afraid to fail, and just always putting your best effort forth," said Coffman, the second Wildcat ever to win an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.
Coffman's one complaint about the essay? It was limited to one page. She said she needed more room to share all the ways her time at K-State helped her academically.
To start, she wanted to add in how being a student-athlete allowed her to build strong relationships with professors. Traveling so much for competitions started this.
"When I went and talked to them about when I was missing class, I felt like they got to know me better," she said, "but I also felt like, because they knew me better, I wanted to perform better."
Coffman certainly performed well in the classroom.
A three-time Academic All-Big 12 pick, she earned CoSIDA Google Cloud First Team Academic All-America honors this past year when she posted a 4.0 GPA. The former walk-on who turned into a regular on the Big 12 podium also landed on the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2017, she received the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the highest academic honor any student-athlete in the Big 12 can receive.
Coffman stressed that she could not have done any of it without all the help she found in the Student-Athlete Enhancement Center in the Vanier Family Football Complex.
"That building helped me so much," she said. "As far as studying at my house, it's so hard because, when everyone's around you don't want to study, so going to study hall and being dedicated to getting stuff done, that building helped there. Then, also tutoring. Some people have talked about how tutoring is only for people that really need it. No… tutoring, for some of those harder classes, was definitely helpful."
Coffman, who graduated with dual bachelor of science degrees in life science and business administration, also commended her academic counselor, Marissa Edwards, for her guidance. Edwards nominated Coffman for her other $10,000 educational win, the 2017-18 Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship that was announced in early June.
"Totally unexpected," Coffman, one of 20 Big 12 student-athletes to earn the scholarship, said. "When that got announced, it was crazy because I was sitting in Arrow Coffee and had an excel spreadsheet open, trying to figure out my budget."
When Coffman got the NCAA scholarship, her graduate school budget got a lot more manageable. She said the pair of $10,000 scholarships should nearly cover her first two semesters at Northern Arizona, where she said she should finish in December 2021.
"I'm overjoyed to received it. It's just another thing K-State Athletics has contributed. The blessings of being a student-athlete at K-State, it's enormous," she said. "I was just thinking about how much joy I've gotten just from competing and practicing with the team, but then the benefits financially are overwhelming.
"I'm super blessed to have K-State and be a K-State alum now."
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