From the moment Soren Frykholm ’16 arrived on campus as a sophomore in 2014, he made the most of the opportunities presented by Colorado College.

Frykholm excelled in the classroom, graduating with distinction in Romance Languages. During his three seasons as a member of the men’s soccer team, he helped lead the Tigers to a combined overall record of 45-10-6 (.787). At the same time, Frykholm took advantage of CC’s Block Plan and studied abroad extensively, which allowed him to expand his global commitment to community service.

In recognition of his extraordinary efforts, Frykholm has been named a recipient of the highly prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, awarded to a select group of student-athletes who excel academically and athletically. Nationwide across all NCAA divisions, only 29 scholarships are awarded for both men and women from each sports season (fall, winter, and spring).

To qualify for the $7,500 scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) and have been a member of a varsity team. Recipients also must intend to continue academic work beyond the bachelor’s degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.

With a 3.85 GPA, Frykholm easily surpassed the minimum requirement to qualify for the scholarship. He speaks Spanish, Latin, and Portuguese, the language he utilized while studying abroad in Salvador, Brazil, during the second semester of the 2015-16 academic year.

While immersing himself in Brazilian culture and studying at Universidade Católica do Salvador, Frykholm volunteered twice a week teaching English in one of the city’s notorious favelas.

For his senior thesis, Frykholm translated an academic journal on racism in Brazil from Portuguese to Spanish. Racism is especially prevalent in Salvador, which is the capital of the northeastern state of Bahia, as well as Brazil’s third-largest city.

“I need to thank my coach, Scott Palguta, my academic advisor, Naomi Wood, and Pedro de Araujo, the faculty athletics representative, for nominating me and guiding me through the process,” says Frykholm via email from Oaxaca, México, where he was working with the Teozacoalco Archeology Project this spring. “All three of these mentors have inspired me to be a better student, soccer player, and human being throughout my past three years at Colorado College.”

“Soren is a hardworking and talented athlete and a gifted student,” says de Araujo. “He speaks three languages, has lived abroad multiple times, and has a passion for community service. He is that type of individual who inspires other people to be better citizens. This scholarship is very well deserved.”

Frykholm earned first-team All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America after leading the Tigers to a 16-3-1 record during the 2016 season. He started all 17 games in which he played and was fourth on the team with 1,532 minutes.

As a defensive midfielder, Frykholm was a key member of the CC defense which tied for eighth nationally with a .600 shutout percentage after recording 12 clean sheets in 20 games. The Tigers also ranked 10th in Division III with a 0.58 goals-against average.

“I am so pleased for Soren,” says Palguta, head coach of the men’s soccer team. “To be awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship is the culmination of three years of devotion to CC.

“I consider Soren the ultimate liberal arts man. I have yet to encounter a student-athlete who has embraced the opportunities that a Colorado College education affords them as much as Soren. He has been a poised, mature, and respected leader on our team and has set a wonderful example for all our student-athletes.”

Just as he did on the pitch, Frykholm took a great deal of pride in leading by example in the campus community.

The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection served as a New Student Orientation leader and a member of the Student Alumni Association. He also was president of Luso-Brazilian Club and a member of Phi Sigma Iota, the International Foreign Language Honor Society.

Frykholm was a two-time recipient of the college’s Keller Family Venture Grant. In 2015, he used his first Venture Grant to create a documentary of the men’s soccer team’s experiences during an 18-day cultural and competitive trip to England, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.

A December 2016 graduate, Frykholm accepted a position in the Peace Corps and will begin his two-year assignment in Peru this summer.

“I’m humbled to be a scholarship recipient and I’m excited by the prospect of grad school,” says Frykholm. “I’m also extremely grateful to the mentors (both coaches and professors) who have supported me in getting to where I am. I couldn’t have done it without them. Now I just need to figure out what in the world I might want to study in grad school… probably anthropology.”

Candidates for the postgraduate scholarship are nominated by the school’s faculty athletics representative and screened by regional selection committees. Recipients then are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship 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.