UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State men’s gymnast Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) has been named a recipient of the 2012 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award. The award is an annual scholarship recognizing one male and one female Big Ten senior student-athlete pursuing a postgraduate degree for achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and leadership. It is given out in conjunction with the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments.
Indiana swimmer Margaux Farrell was the female recipient of the 2012 award. Pineda is the second Nittany Lion to be recognized with the scholarship after women’s swimmer Molly Crispell was an inaugural winners in 2008.
"We congratulate Margaux Farrell and Miguel Pineda for earning the 2011 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award," said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. "This award recognizes a Big Ten student-athlete for success in academics, athletics, civic service and leadership – principles championed by former Commissioner Duke throughout his tenure. Margaux and Miguel are fitting honorees and outstanding examples of the leaders produced on our campuses every year. We would also like to thank the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership for continuing to recognize the efforts of Big Ten student-athletes."
This season, Pineda is serving as captain of a Nittany Lion squad that has established itself as a legitimate national title contender. Currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, Penn State has posted the highest team score in the Big Ten and the top road score in the NCAA (355.500). The Nittany Lions own the nation’s best scores in the pommel horse and vault this season and have a total of 14 individuals ranked in the top 20 nationally in the six events. A cornerstone of one of the nation’s top still rings line-ups, Pineda is ranked No. 4 in the event and has recorded four top two finishes, including two title wins, thus far this season. He is also a consistent contributor in the vault and parallel bars.
As a junior, Pineda earned his first career All-America honors for his second-place finish in the still rings at the National Collegiate Championships. He also medaled in the event at the 2011 Big Ten Championships, placing third.
Pineda is completing his biology degree through the Eberly College of Science at Penn State. He is among the top one-half percent of his class with a 3.98 GPA. A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recipient and three-time CGA First Team All-American Scholar Athlete, Pineda was instrumental in the men’s gymnastics squad earning last year’s Varsity ‘S’ Award, an honor presented to the Penn State men’s and women’s teams with the highest team GPA. In 2011, he was also recognized on the Capital One Academic All-America® Men’s At-Large First Team and received the prestigious NCAA Elite 88 Award at the National Collegiate Championships. Pineda plans to attend medical school following graduation with the goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
Pineda served for three summers as gymnastics coach to students ages 6-17 at Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center in Lancaster, Ohio. As a team captain for Penn State, he has represented his school at numerous NCAA, Penn State and community functions. The native of Galloway, Ohio, also contributes his time in community outreach activities such as volunteering for the Special Olympics.
In recognition of the Big Ten’s leadership in fully integrating athletics into the academic mission of its member institutions, the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership initiated the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award in 2008. Each Big Ten institution was asked to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for 2012, with a $5,000 scholarship awarded to each winner. Pineda and Farrell will be honored during a presentation at halftime of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game on Friday, March 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award is named for the former Big Ten Conference commissioner who served from 1971-89. While leading the Big Ten, Duke spent much of his time working to improve academic standards and graduation rates for student-athletes. The award is made possible by donations from local corporations and individuals supporting collegiate student-athletes. The Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership is comprised of the State of Indiana, City of Indianapolis, Indiana Sports Corporation, Pacers Sports & Entertainment and the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association.