March 24, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS - Former Grand Valley State women's soccer players Katy Tafler and Sue Christenson have been named recipients of postgraduate scholarships. Tafler earned the prestigious National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Postgraduate Scholarship, while Christenson garnered the Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics.

Tafler will recieve a one-time, non-renewable grant of $7,500 to continue her education. The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Each sports season (fall, winter and spring), there are 29 scholarships available for men and 29 scholarships available for women.

Tafler, having completed her senior season, has garnered numerous awards during her illustrious career at Grand Valley State. She is a two-time Daktronics, Inc. Division II Player of the Year (2006, '07) and a three-time all-american. She has earned Daktronics, Inc. First Team All-American status in each of the last three years and was an National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-American this year after being an NSCAA First Team All-American the previous two years. In both 2006 and 2007, Tafler was named to the NSCAA Division II Final Four All-Tournament team.

Tafler is the only GLIAC player in history to record at least 40 goals and 40 assists in her career, and is just the 17th player to do so in Division II history. In her career, she ranks third in goals with 114 and third in points with 269. Tafler's point totals are both conference and school records as well. She has been named to the NSCAA Midwest Region First Team all four of her years at GVSU, and she has been a Daktronics, Inc. Midwest Region First Team honoree for the past three seasons. In each of the past three seasons, she has been selected as the Daktronics, Inc. Midwest Region Player of the Year. She has been a four-time All-GLIAC First-Team honoree and was chosen as the conference's Offensive Player of the Year for the past three seasons. During her freshman year, she was selected as the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

Christenson ewas a First Team Academic All-American in her senior year, as well as a Daktronics First Team All-America selection. She was a National Soccer Coaches of America Association (NSCAA) Third Team All-American her senior season, and was a Daktronics First Team All-Region selection and a NSCAA Second Team All-Region honoree. She was a two-time member of the All-GLIAC First Team and was the GLIAC Freshman of the Year during her first season. When she ended her career, she was the all-time leader in games played (85), and helped Grand Valley State set a school record for goals allowed in a season (10).