During the 2022-23 academic year, Kenyon College had two student-athletes declared winners of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. Joe Boesel '23, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, was named a recipient among the selections in the spring sports season and Mart Niehoff '23, a member of the men’s swimming and diving team, was a winner in the winter.
Boesel is the first student-athlete in Kenyon men’s lacrosse history to earn the scholarship, while Niehoff is the 35th to represent the men’s swimming and diving program. Encompassing all sports, the two recent winners brought Kenyon’s overall total to 91 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients since the 1969-70 academic year. That total ranks second-best among all NCAA Division III institutions.
The NCAA awards up to 126 Postgraduate Scholarships annually to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The one-time non-renewable scholarships of $10,000 are awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring). In each of those seasons, there are 21 scholarships available for men and 21 scholarships available for women.
On the lacrosse field, Boesel was a key contributor to a 2023 Kenyon team that went 15-3, shared the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular-season title, and earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Boesel, a midfielder, played in all 18 games and racked up 34 points on 17 goals and 17 assists. He was an All-NCAC honoree, as well as a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Award winner. Additionally, he was tabbed a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division III Scholar All-American.
Boesel graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biochemistry. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was a constant on the Kenyon Merit List. In the summer of 2021, he was selected to work in the Pelotonia Cancer Research program. His NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship will be utilized at University of Toledo’s College of Medicine, where he will pursue a medical degree.
This past swim season, Niehoff was a part of Kenyon’s national champion 200-yard freestyle relay team. He was both a 2023 College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-American and a 2023 CSCAA Scholar All-American. Recently, he was named the winner of the NCAC’s Don Hunsinger Award, presented to one senior student who distinguished himself throughout his collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Niehoff graduated summa cum laude with degrees in economics and mathematics. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received high honors and distinction in economics. He will soon be headed to London, where he will put his scholarship to use while pursuing a master’s degree in finance at London School of Economics and Political Science.