Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
 
July 9, 2025 – Standout North Central College women's track and field student-athlete Lindsey Novak has been selected as a recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Awarded at the conclusion of each sports season, Novak is one of 42 spring sport student-athletes across all NCAA divisions to earn the award.
 
The NCAA's Postgraduate Scholarship program, instituted in 1964, promotes and encourages education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average and be nominated by their institution's faculty athletics representative. The one-time, non-renewable scholarships of $10,000 are awarded three times a year, corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter, and spring). Each sports season, there are 21 scholarships available for men and 21 scholarships available for women for use in an accredited graduate program.
 
Novak received this recognition in spring 2024 and elected to compete in the 2025 season, using her final year of athletic eligibility. As a result, she deferred her scholarship until Fall 2025. After concluding her athletic career, Novak looks to complete her doctorate in physical therapy at North Central, with an expected graduation in May 2026. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from NCC in 2023.
 
Novak is the first North Central women's track and field honoree to receive the prestigious honor. In total, eight Cardinals have earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
 
A 10-time All-American sprinter and 13-time College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin champion, Novak was named the CCIW Women's Track Athlete of the Meet at three conference championships. The Lombard, Ill. native etched her name atop the record books in six events, all within the long sprints and relay disciplines. Novak capped off her collegiate career at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earning United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Second Team All-American honors in the 200- and 400-meter events.
 
Demonstrating academic excellence, Novak was named a 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America selection as she was named to the second team. A member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology and Alpha Eta Society for the Allied Health Professions, Novak was a three-time All-District honoree, a three-year Academic All-CCIW honoree, and was twice named the CCIW's Jack Swarts Award recipient.
 
Off the track, Novak gained clinical experience as a therapy technician at Progressive Physical Medicine and as a rehabilitation aide at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. On campus, she served as a psychology preceptor and statistics tutor.
 
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