HOLLAND -- Recent Hope College graduate Ryan TerLouw of Pella, Iowa has received two major awards for academic accomplishment

A standout distance runner in Hope's cross country and track & field programs, TerLouw has been presented an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first team in track & field.

A chemistry major, TerLouw lettered in cross country and track & field all four years. He earned all-conference honors in both sports and was a three-time NCAA All-American in the 1,500-meter run, finishing fourth this spring.  He was also the co-recipient of the college's Otto van der Velde All-Campus Award.  He will attend the University of Iowa Medical School.

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship program was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports.

Athletics and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership, are evaluated.  In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study in an accredited graduate degree program.

TerLouw joins classmate Lisa Smith of Dearborn, Michigan as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholar for the 2006-07 school year.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America program includes NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA schools. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected by the College Sports Information Director's Association of America (CoSIDA).