Bye, Theisen get NCAA postgrad scholarships

June 25, 2008

All-Americans P.J. Theisen and Maria Bye are among 58 senior student-athletes who have been awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships for spring. Each student received a $7,500 scholarship for graduate studies.

Just 15 Division III athletes were honored, including just three from the MIAC. Joining Bye and P.J. Theisen were Gustavus' tennis standout Andy Bryan.

Theisen (SR-Elko/New Prague) closed out a remarkable St. Thomas academic and athletic career in May as he helped the Tommies place fifth nationally in men's outdoor track and field. He placed third in the 400 hurdles in 51.92, the fastest time ever by an MIAC runner, and also placed eighth in the long jump.

Theisen, who graduated with a 3.94 grade-point average in Accounting, is a seven-time track and field All-American. His four career CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in football and track and field rank second in conference history. Only St. Thomas' Andrew Hilliard has won more Academic All-America honors (five) among MIAC student athletes. Theisen was honored in football and track and field in 2006-07; missed the 2007-08 seasons with a foot injury; and made the football Academic All-America team last fall.

P.J.'s sister, Katie, who just finished her junior year for St. Thomas, was named a second-team Academic All-American. Katie, who hads a 4.00 gpa, earned All-America honors in cross country and indoor track and also qualified for nationals in outdoor track.

P.J. scored 233 individual points in eight MIAC championship meets (indoors and outdoors). Only UST legend Leonard Jones (247) has scored more individual points among all conference competitors. Theisen was a part of seven MIAC title teams in indoor and outdoor track.

Theisen also was a four-year starter in football and was an honorable-mention All-American and two-time All-MIAC wide receiver. One of 10 national finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy (the Division III Player of the Year), Theisen finished his career in the top five among MIAC players in two categories -- he was third in receptions with 218 and fourth in receiving yards at 3,223 yards. He also had 25 touchdown catches to finish with 150 points, sixth best in school history. He finished third in career all-purpose yards at 4,025. He had 100-yard receiving games in 13 of his last 19 games.

Theisen was named a National Football Foundation Scholar and became just the fourth MIAC player in 40 years to win the NFF's prestigious $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. He was was among 22 players in all levels of college football to be chosen to the AFCA's Good Works Team for exceptional community service.

Theisen recently was named 2007-08 MIAC Male Student Athlete of the Year by College Sporting News.

Bye (SR-Maple Plain/Orono) is in elite company as she is one of only a few student-athletes in any sport to be a three-time first-team All-America, three-time first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America, and a member of a national championship team.

This spring, Bye was named Softball's College Division Academic All-American of the Year by ESPN the Magazine and the College Sports Information Diretors of America (CoSIDA). Bye, who has a 3.93 GPA in Biochemistry, was also named the College Sporting News MIAC Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

In Bye's four-year era, St. Thomas went 175-19, including a 98-2 mark vs. conference foes. She batted .403 over 173 games witrh 37 homers, 175 RBI, 192 hits, 133 runs, 80 walks, 32 doubles and just nine errors in 460 chances. As a pitcher in 127 career appearances she had a 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio with 702 strikeouts and 175 walks in 534 innings, and finished 85-10 with an 0.99 ERA. She held opposing batters to a .144 average. The Tommies were NCAA champion and NCAA runner-up in 2005 and 2006 and her teams ranked in the top three in nation all four years.

Bye was a four-time all-conference honoree and swept the MIAC regular-season awards (Pitcher and Player of the Year) two years in a row. She started all 145 games over her last three seasons. She became the first player in Division III history to record 85 wins and 700 strikeouts as a pitcher and hit more than 35 home runs as a batter. 

The team captain, was also heavily involved away from the field and the classroom. She participated in the Aquinas Scholars Program, was a youth softball coach, a member of the student-athlete advisory committee, was a campus resident advisor, and was a campus microbiology research assistant. Bye also volunteered at the Dorothy Day Homeless Shelter, the University of Minnesota Hospital, and the Up Til Dawn Fundraiser for St. Jude's Hospital.

P.J. Theisen