After outstanding undergraduate careers, Jordan Lukens and Maria Wisman of the Ohio State cheerleading program have received postgraduate scholarships.
Lukens received both the John Dana Cole Award and was a Varsity O Scholarship Award winner. Wisman was a recipient of a Woody and Anne Hayes Award.
The John Dana Cole Award, established in 1966 by a gift through the Development Fund from John D. Cole, provides a one-time stipend for post-graduate studies at Ohio State. The recipient of the scholarship is a student-athlete who shows the promise of success in his/her chosen field and has demonstrated academic achievement (3.00 GPA minimum).
The Varsity O award provides each scholar-athlete selected (one male/one female) with a one-time stipend of $4,000 for postgraduate studies at Ohio State. The ideal candidate maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher during undergraduate studies, earned a varsity letter and performed community service.
The Woody and Anne Hayes Award, established in 1979, provides one or more varsity athletes with financial assistance for postgraduate studies. The recipients of this scholarship are student-athletes who have demonstrated academic achievement (3.00 GPA minimum) and leadership qualities.
Lukens earned his undergraduate degree in zoology and plans to pursue a doctorate of medicine. The 2019 UCA Collegiate Mascot National Champion who had Top 10 finishes at the 2017 and ’18 UCA College Nationals earned Ohio State Scholar-Athlete accolades and was a Nationwide Children’s Hospital research associate in the department of otolaryngology and has three studies published in international journals of pediatric ENT.
Wisman, a business finance major, plans to attend graduate school to obtain her doctorate of physical therapy. An Ohio State Scholar-AThlete who was a 2019 Wexner Medical Center Ambassador, she is the most decorated female cheerleader in the program’s history, with Top 5 finishes at UCA College Nationals the last three years. She was the UCA College Nationals runner-up in 2019, a two-time member of Team USA and a two-time world champion.
