RYAN MILLS '03 DIDN'T EXPECT TO RECEIVE a scholarship this year, partly because he's been out of college for four years, and partly because it's been at least that long since he was last considered for the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in question. Back then, Mills was a President's Medalist in 2003, and Denison's athletic department nominated him for the NCAA postgrad scholarship based on his soccer and academic achievements. He knew by graduation that he was the fourth alternate in a national competition for Division I, II and III schools.

But last fall, he received a letter from the NCAA explaining that the award was his. "This was a very pleasant surprise," says Mills, who now manages the Granville branch of Park National Bank. "A nice cap to my college career."

Ryan Mills '03

Apparently, the original recipient didn't make use of the opportunity, nor did the alternates who were ahead of Mills. But now he will. With $6,900 in hand, he is excited about the timing. He'll stay with the career he loves while he begins his MBA part-time at one of several institutions in the Columbus area this summer.

Larry Scheiderer, Denison's director of athletics, recreation and physical education, couldn't be more pleased for Mills and for Denison. "We've had winners every year since 1997 up to 2005, except for 2003, and now we've got that," he says. Denison places third on a list of colleges that have received numerous NCAA scholarships back through 1968. Only Emory University (Ga.) and Kenyon College (Ohio) have received more.

Many years, the NCAA names more than one nominee. For example, three members of the Class of '05, swimmers Jill Boo and Sarah Peck and soccer standout Colleen Wirtz, all received NCAA postgrad scholarships. The amount of the award has now increased to $7,500 per scholarship.

The multi-part application process is rigorous, Scheiderer says. It involves endorsements, references and other documentation representing a combination of academic and intercollegiate successes as well as the student's impact on the college. "We push this really hard and we're real proud of it," adds Craig Hicks, the university's sports information director. "Winners of this scholarship represent lots of Denison sports teams."

Only one other time has a Denison alternate received the scholarship after the fact. Molly Parrish '02 received word in 2005 that she would get the postgraduate scholarship awarded in her senior year. Parrish, now an assistant swim coach, was already in grad school at the time pursuing a master's at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. "This was very helpful to me to cover my expenses," she says. Parrish obtained her master's in liberal studies last May.