Merrill-Johnson Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship (Mar. 4, 2005)

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State-Billings senior Margot Merrill-Johnson has been awarded one of 56 postgraduate scholarships given by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  The women’s soccer player from Salt Lake City became the school’s second Academic All-America selection this fall and is the first MSU Billings student-athlete to earn the prestigious NCAA scholarship.

The NCAA awarded 56 postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 28 male student-athletes and 28 female student-athletes who participated in fall sports, which included women’s badminton, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, football, women’s rugby, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo.

To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.200 (on a 4.000 scale) or its equivalent and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics. The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.

Student-athletes from across the NCAA are nominated by their respective faculty athletic representatives.  Merrill-Johnson was nominated by MSU Billings FAR Dr. Scott Harris.  Candidates are then screened by seven regional selection committees, and the award recipients are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

Merrill-Johnson is a double major in History and Sociology with a 3.90 cumulative grade point average.  She played in and started every game of her collegiate career, setting the school record for both at 70 games.  In 2004, Merrill-Johnson scored a school-record 11 goals and 28 points en route to breaking the MSU Billings career points record.  Of her 30 career goals, 11 were game-winners.

The Yellowjackets finished the 2004 season with an overall record of 12-4-3.  It was the first winning season in the program’s history.  MSU Billings also achieved its first ever regional ranking in 2004 and finished the season ranked tenth in the region.