Denison University seniors Jill Boo and Sarah Peck have recently been awarded NCAA's prestigious Postgraduate Scholarship. The monetary scholarship of $7,500, awarded annually to college senior scholar-athletes, can be used at any graduate-level educational program of each awardees' choice.

A native of Anoka, Minn., Boo is one of the most decorated swimmers ever to come through the revered Denison program. A three-time national champion in the 100 butterfly and an 18-time All-American, Boo has helped Denison to one North Coast Athletic Conference Championship in 2004 and four-consecutive top-four showings at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.

Boo is a German and education double major and plans to teach English as a foreign language to students in Germany for a year upon graduation in May via the Fullbright Teaching Scholarship. A 2001 graduate of Anoka Senior High School, Boo holds a Trustee Scholarship and an Alumnae Endowed Scholarship. She studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany, in 2003. Recently named as one of five winners of Denison's most prestigious honor -- the President's Medal -- for 2005, Boo has also been inducted into Phi Society (freshmen honorary), Phi Beta Kappa, Delta Phi Alpha (German), Kappa Delta Pi (education), and Delta Epsilon Phi (German).

Hailing from Palo Alto, Calif., Peck has developed rapidly in her four years at Denison into one of the premier sprinters in the nation. A 20-time All-American and a six-time All-NCAC selection, Peck shined at the 2005 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, securing top-eight finishes in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Her 20 All-American honors ties for fifth all-time at Denison.

Like her teammate, Boo, Peck was imperative to Denison's NCAC title in 2004 and their four straight top-four showings at the NCAA Championships. Peck is a psychology major and plans to pursue a graduate degree in Landscape Architecture and City Planning.

A 2001 graduate of Henry M. Gunn High School, Peck holds a Provost Scholarship, the K.I. Brown Scholarship for excellence in academics, and has been inducted into Phi Society (freshman honorary), Psi Chi (psychology), was a finalist for the Fullbright Study Abroad scholarship and received the Denison University swimming Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in 2004. She is the co-chair of the Denison Community Association (DCA) Psychological Hospital Volunteers at Twin Valley Behavioral Health Facility and has participated in DCA's Helping Hands Program, mentoring Newark High School students.

The year's two scholarships awarded to DU student-athletes bring the University's total number of Postgraduate Scholars to 37, placing Denison third among more than 400 NCAA Division III institutions. Emory University (Ga.) leads the division with 47 Postgraduate Scholars, and Kenyon College (Ohio) is second with 46. Following Denison with 35 is Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University (Md.) with 32.

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship program was created in 1964 to honor outstanding student-athletes from NCAA member institutions. The NCAA awards scholarships of $7,500 each year to student-athletes who have excelled academically and athletically and are in their final season of intercollegiate varsity athletic competition. The student-athlete must carry a 3.20 cumulative grade-point-average, be a distinct member of a varsity team, intend to enroll in a graduate degree program and be an outstanding citizen.