NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State soccer student-athlete Dani Grgas was one of 14 students selected as a Robert G. Bone Scholar for the 2023-2024 school year. The Bone Scholarship, the highest university-wide honor given to undergraduate students, includes a monetary award of $3,300 from the Bone Scholarship endowment. Recipients of the award will be introduced during an October 1 luncheon and featured in a display at the Bone Student Center.
Named in honor of the late Robert G. Bone, president of Illinois State University from 1956-1967, Bone Scholars are selected through a rigorous campus-wide competition based on their scholarly achievements and their engagement and leadership in activities in the University community and beyond. Invited finalists submit a comprehensive portfolio including several essays and statements, an academic product, and letters of recommendation. The mean grade point average of this year's Bone Scholars is 3.98 on a 4.0 scale.
"I am extremely honored and grateful to be a recipient of the Robert G. Bone Scholarship," Grgas said. "Excelling in the classroom has been a priority for myself in addition to competing at the highest level of collegiate soccer. I would like to thank my family, my coaches, Brent Anderson, and Leanna Bordner for continuously pushing me to be the best student-athlete I can be in the classroom, community, and field of play. I look forward to continuing my journey at Illinois State, as I approach graduation this December."
Grgas joins former soccer standouts Logan Ziegler and Kate Del Fava as the only soccer student-athletes to ever be honored as a Bone Scholar. The Henderson, Nevada, native holds a 3.94 grade-point average while majoring in business administration and organizational leadership at ISU.
"We could not be more thrilled for Dani to be named a Bone Scholar," ISU head coach Marisa Kresge said. "Dani's dedication and enthusiasm are exuded within everything that she does. We are elated she is being recognized by the University for her impact. This is an incredible accomplishment, and there is no one more deserving than Dani."
Grgas appeared in seven games for the Redbirds during the 2022 season, including four starts in the net. She posted Illinois State's only clean sheet of the year in a 0-0 draw with Valparaiso at Adelaide Street Field on Oct. 6. Off the field, Grgas is the president of Illinois State's Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and is also a member of Redbirds 4 Change, a group dedicated to bringing positive change in Athletics, on ISU's campus and in the community. She is involved in other volunteer opportunities with FC Central Illinois, Play4Kay, Bring it Back to Normal, Midwest Food Bank and ISU Pen Pals, among others. She also recently served as one of two representatives from Missouri Valley Conference member schools at the prestigious NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Baltimore, Maryland.
"Dani is the best and brightest of a very talented group of Redbird student-athletes, so it's only fitting that she is honored with the University's highest honor for an undergraduate student," ISU interim Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs stated. "We are so excited for her, and incredibly proud of all of her accomplishments."
Grgas becomes the 32nd Redbird student-athlete in history to earn the scholarship. The Karin L. Bone Athletics Study Center, which supports the academic endeavors of Illinois State student-athletes, is named in honor of the late Illinois State first lady.
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