Minn.-Morris' Maddy Gerber earns NCAA postgraduate scholarship
By Chris Butler
MORRIS, Minn. -- University of Minnesota, Morris women’s soccer head coach Dan Magner admits he will be sorry to see Maddy Gerber receive her diploma this spring. When Gerber graduates from Minnesota, Morris in May, she will be taking away something important to Cougar soccer.
“Her example. That covers everything—her fitness, her studies, her focus in training, how she conducts herself in games. In 20-plus years of coaching, I’ve never coached anyone so well-rounded. Maddy is one of those exceptional student-athletes who don’t come around very often,” Magner laments.
Gerber will also be taking with her a prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship for her performance on the pitch as well as in the classroom. She is one of only 29 women nationwide in all three NCAA divisions who received an award for the 2009 fall season. For her dedication to scholarship and athletics, Gerber has earned $7,500 to put toward expenses for graduate school.
Reviewing Gerber’s résumé nearly strains the limits of believability. In four years she has maintained a flawless 4.0 grade point average with a double major in biology and psychology and a chemistry minor while playing four years of soccer during which she scored 81 points, made the UMAC All-Conference team four times, and earned conference all-academic honors four times.
Gerber wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Participating in college in athletics taught me the value of hard work, team play and determination. These principles can get you very far in both athletics and academics,” she says. “Working on a lab report with three other students is not unlike working with ten teammates on the soccer field. In both cases you must communicate well and work cooperatively toward a common goal.”
This ability to balance athletics and academics has impressed Gerber’s advisor and research mentor, Dr. Timna Wyckoff. This year Gerber and Wyckoff have been analyzing data about the antibiotic resistance of bacteria from dairy cows that are transitioning to organic production.
“Maddy is the perfect combination as a student. She is very intelligent but she also works extremely hard,” Wyckoff says.
For her scholastic efforts, Gerber is facing some attractive choices post-graduation when she will study virology or gene therapy. She has been admitted into microbiology Ph.D. programs at the Baylor College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, and the University of Iowa. She expects to make her decision in the next couple of weeks.
Whichever school Gerber chooses, Magner feels confident her classmates will benefit from her presence.
“On the field, Maddy has the special ability to bring other players into the game and make everyone better. She can do the same thing off the field,” he says.
While Magner will miss having Gerber in his lineup, she says she won’t ever forget what it means to a Cougar.
“I love the sense of camaraderie that comes with being a member of a team and I take great pride in representing my school and wearing the school colors. Go Cougars!”
Gerber is the first NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient in the nascent history of the UMAC. The last UMM student to receive the award was Adam Turgeon (football) in 2008.