Cassie Ficken at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships (Photo by New York Road Runners) |
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Cassie Ficken to Receive Scholarship Prior to Carolina Panthers Game, Aug. 13
Aug. 10, 2005
Charlotte, N.C. - Charlotte 49ers track & field and cross country star Cassie Ficken will be awarded the Carolina Panthers Post-Graduate Scholarship prior to the NFL team's preseason opener on Saturday, August 13.
Ficken, along with three other student-athletes from the area, was awarded a $5,000 scholarship to continue her education. Cassie, a fifth-year senior, is pursuing a degree in Charlotte's dual bachelor's/master's program in civil engineering.
She will be presented the award in a pre-game ceremony at Bank of America Stadium in downtown Charlotte prior to the Panthers' preseason opener against the division rival Washington Redskins.
According to the team, The Carolina Panthers Scholarship Fund was established in 1995 and is designed to assist college athletes in pursuit of graduate degrees. The fund provides graduate level scholarships to student-athletes in North Carolina and South Carolina on the basis of leadership, citizenship and academic merit.
In the classroom, Ficken achieved perfect 4.0 GPA's in both semesters last academic year, earning recognition on the Chancellor's List each time. She was also chosen to the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll for the fourth straight year, and went on to be named the C-USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Women's Track & Field. Ficken has been on the Athletic Director's honor roll in each of her eight semesters at Charlotte, and is president if the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
On the track, Ficken had a record-breaking year. During indoor season, Cassie helped lead the 49ers women's team to a best-ever second place finish at the C-USA Championship meet. She was named Athlete of the Meet and Female Athlete of the Year, running to two individual championships and one relay title at the meet.
Cassie's biggest accomplishment of the season came on a national stage, when she earned the school's first-ever indoor All-American award - male or female - in a distance event. She placed seventh in the 3,000-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Arkansas.
During outdoor season, Ficken continued to re-write the school's record books while advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento. There, she finished just outside the qualifying for the final round of the 5,000-meter run, ultimately finishing 17th in the nation.
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