Hinkle, Placek Named Gautt Scholarship Recipients

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State's Loren Hinkle (volleyball) and Joe Placek (track and field) were two of 28 student-athletes selected by the Big 12 Conference to receive 2023-24 Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarships.

Hinkle, a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, recently earned her degree in life sciences. During her time with K-State volleyball. The Shawnee, Kan., native was awarded Academic All-District First Team honors in 2022 by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Placek was a three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and was also part of the CSC Academic All-District VII and Academic All-Big 12 teams in 2023.

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 529 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 $3.9 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 have been at $10,000 since 2013-14.

Criteria for the awards includes a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.200 on a 4.000 scale and participation in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics at the nominee's respective institution. The student-athletes must graduate from their respective member institutions and enroll in graduate or professional school of their choice within 15 months of their selection of the postgraduate scholarship.

K-State, a Tier 1 Carnegie Foundation Institution, had an outstanding 2023-24 academic year by both individual student-athletes and by its teams.

The soccer program was honored this season by the United Soccer Coaches with its third Team Academic Award, while Wildcat volleyball received their 14^th consecutive American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.

The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recognized not only the men's and women's Wildcat cross country programs, but also both track and field programs as an Academic All-America teams for their work in the classroom.

Women's basketball also highlighted K-State's success in the classroom, as the Wildcats received Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Honor Roll Special Mention for its team grade point average last season.

K-State student-athletes compiled for 184 Academic All-Big 12 honors during the 2023-24 academic year.

Volleyball's Mackenzie Morris, women's golf Haley Vargas and football's Cooper Beebe earned the highest academic honor in the conference, as they were each named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sports.

Ayoka Lee of the K-State women's basketball team, along with Beebe and teammate Ben Sinnott were each named to the CSC Academic All-America First Team. A total of 32 K-State student-athletes received CSC Academic All-District First Team recognition.

With a record-high 986 multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score for all sports, which also ranked second among all Big 12 schools, all of Kansas State's athletic teams met and exceeded the NCAA's APR multi-year standard for the 12th straight year.

Kansas State University Athletics

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