ROCK HILL, SC--The NCAA has selected former Winthrop soccer student-athlete Matt Horn and South Dakota track and field athlete Alexa Duling as the 2013 Walter Byers Scholars as each will receive a renewable $24,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship is awarded annually to one male and one female student-athlete in recognition of outstanding academic achievement and potential for future success. To be eligible for consideration, a nominee must be a graduating senior or enrolled in graduate study at an NCAA member institution. Winners must have attained an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5, competed on a varsity team at an NCAA member school, evidenced superior character and leadership, and demonstrated that participation in athletics and community service positively influenced the recipient's personal and intellectual development.
Horn (Mooresville, NC) majored in biology and chemistry as an undergraduate. He earned his degree in 2012 after maintaining a 3.93 GPA. He is now in his first year of medical school at North Carolina.
Horn credits his Christian faith with giving him the perseverance to pursue this scholarship. “I'm really passionate about medical school and being a doctor in the future. I always thought the scholarship was a terrific opportunity,” he said.
Horn was the Eagles' team captain for two years and was a 2010 Big South Conference All-American and Scholar Athlete of the Year. He was a 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS candidate and was selected as a Capital One Academic All-American that same year.
He served as a member of the Division I national SAAC and was a representative on several NCAA committees.
“What else can I say about Matt Horn? He continues to be a shining example of the very best that a student-athlete can bem" said Winthrop athletic director Tom Hickman. "We are so proud that he is a part of the Winthrop family and we know that he will continue to be an outstanding ambassador for this university. He will be the role model for Winthrop student-athletes for many years to come.”
Horn said his experience as a student-athlete prepared him for the rigors of medical school. Although challenging, Horn said his first year of medical school has been “really excellent.” He hopes to specialize in either orthopedic surgery or family medicine and believes the strong academic and clinical foundation he is receiving at North Carolina will prepare him for this future.
Winthrop head men's soccer coach Rich Posipanko was excited to hear news about Horn's selection for the honor. "This scholarship will help go a long way towards his medical school expenses. He was a true student-athlete and this honor is well deserved," according to Posipanko. "Matt is a first-class person in all aspects of life. He was certainly one of a kind, and in 38 years of coaching was the top student and athlete I had the pleasure of working with. He has continued to be an outstanding ambassador for Winthrop University."
Horn credits his experience as a student-athlete with teaching him how to focus on his own talents, through which Horn said he learned humility and the importance of not comparing himself to others.
“In school there's always going to be someone that's a little bit smarter than you and on the field there's always going to be someone that's a little bit better than you. I think not focusing on what other people are blessed with, but focusing on what your talents are and trying to maximize that, is what I've tried to focus on,” he said.
Horn said he also learned time management in his undergraduate career. Being a student-athlete means adhering to a demanding daily schedule that includes going to class, working out, practice and studying, he said. “It's a very tight regime, so it makes you focus on getting things done fast and doing a good job and not wasting your time. That's really helped me out a lot here.”
Horn said he was very humbled by the other finalists and said the experience of interviewing for the Byers scholarship was extremely positive. It was gratifying for Horn to hear the other finalists' dreams and share his own.
Horn calls the Byers scholarship the “most unbelievable award I've ever received” and says it's made even more special because of the bonds he's formed with the other finalists, members of NCAA committees and national office staff.
“The fact is,” he said, “receiving the Walter Byers Scholarship is most gratifying because it honors the incredible people who have selflessly supported me in my journey.”
Duling is in her fifth year at South Dakota, where she majored in biology with a minor in economics and is finishing her MBA. She maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA and will attend University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.
