SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced Monday that Washington State rower Ella Cowan de Wolf and WSU distance runner Desi Stinger have been named recipients of the Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship for the 2019-20 academic year.

Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarships are worth $9,000 each and are awarded to up to two student-athletes from each Pac-12 school annually. These worthy student-athletes maintained a minimum 3.0 grade point average and demonstrated a commitment to education, campus and community involvement, and leadership.

Cowan de Wolf rowed with both the varsity eight and varsity four during the fall portion of the 2019-20 season. She helped the Cougar varsity eight finish second at the Portland Fall Classic on Oct. 27, before ending the fall campaign by guiding the second varsity four to a second-place finish at the Silver Lake Head Race in Spokane, Washington on Nov. 2.

Cowan de Wolf, a pre-vet/animal science major, is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection and has enjoyed ample success in the water for the Cougars. During the 2018-19 season, she was a member of the third varsity eight crew that placed fifth at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships. Cowan de Wolf will be enrolling into the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Stinger trained and competed during both the fall and the spring semesters as a member of the WSU cross country and track teams. Stinger most recently competed in three meets during the track and field indoor season, in preparation for the outdoor portion, where she saw a finish of eighth overall in the mile event at the Vandal Open. During the Fall of 2019, she helped aided the WSU cross country squad to a 12th place overall finish at the NCAA West Regional, that the Cougars just so happened to be hosting as well at the Colfax Golf Club.

Stinger, a sport management major, saw numerous academic accolades while attending Washington State as well, including being named a five-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, and two-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic selection. The scholarships are awarded to one male and one female student-athlete at each Pac-12 school who have excelled academically and athletically and intend to pursue a graduate degree. Stinger will enroll into the University of San Francisco to pursue a Master's in Sports Management.

To be selected for a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship, a student-athlete must have:

• Maintained an overall undergraduate minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 (based on a
4.00 scale);
• Completed his/her final season of intercollegiate athletics eligibility in all sports or be in his/her final year of undergraduate study, having exhausted athletics eligibility in all sports;
• Been accepted to or already be enrolled as a full-time student in a graduate or professional program at an accredited institution, or in a postgraduate program for which an undergraduate degree is required for admission
• Performed with distinction as a member of a varsity team; and
• Exemplified behavior, both in competition and beyond, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution, and intercollegiate athletics.

Student-athletes awarded this scholarship plan to pursue postgraduate education in best-in-class graduate programs at some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, including several Pac-12 universities. They will study everything from medicine and law to business, dentistry, engineering, education, and more.