SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Western Carolina women's track & field student-athlete Victoria Solheim was awarded the William V. Moore Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith as the Southern Conference announced its postgraduate scholarship winners on Wednesday.
 
Solheim is one of 10 student-athletes to receive a postgraduate scholarship this year. Others include Dave Hart Scholarship recipient Grant Wollam (Wofford); Dorothy Hicks Scholarship recipient Allie Jones (Mercer); Insurance Office of America Scholarship recipient Emma Kuntz (Furman); David Knight Scholarship recipient Kaley Tucker (UNC Greensboro); Bob McCloskey Insurance Scholarship recipients Megan Dunn (Wofford) and Omar Williams (Wofford); and Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship recipients Avery Whitehead (Furman), Maria Esch (UNCG) and Caroline Orman (Samford).
 
The recipients are nominated by their schools and selected by the Southern Conference Graduate Scholar Committee. The scholarships, which are worth $2,000 each, are awarded to student-athletes about to receive their undergraduate degrees who intend to pursue advanced degrees in graduate or professional school. The student-athletes are evaluated on academics, athletics, and community service.

"I am honored to be a recipient of the William V. Moore postgraduate scholarship," said Solheim. "I have always been driven to be well-rounded in both athletics and academics, and to receive this scholarship means that my performance and dedication hasn't gone unnoticed. When (WCU faculty athletic representative) Dr. (Alex) Macaulay sent me the scholarship nomination form and said that I had been selected as a prospective candidate by athletic administration and my coaches, I was proud of myself and filled with joy that the people I look up to believed that I embodied the requirements of the scholarship and would be an excellent contender. Through receiving this award, I see that my time here at WCU has ben successful both academically and athletically and that my service to the community has been influential." 
 
A thrower for the Catamounts, Solheim is a two-time indoor champion in the women's weight throw, winning in both 2019 and 2021. She also took third in the same event in 2020. The Dallas, Georgia, native was the runner-up in the discus during the 2019 outdoor season and finished third in 2021.
 
A biology and chemistry double-major with a 3.963 GPA, the pre-med student has made the Chancellor's List each semester of her career and earned SoCon Commissioner's Medals in 2019 and 2020. Solheim, who has served an internship shadowing at a dentist's office and plans to attend dental school with the goal of becoming a Doctor of Dental Surgery, has served as Western Carolina's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's community service chair since 2019. She has coordinated a pair of community service activities for the track and field team, including a National Walk to School Day event with Fairview Elementary and Christmas Connection, in which money was raised to support children in Jackson County, N.C. She has participated in Jackson County roadside cleanup and is a member of the Pre-Med Club.

"By having the opportunity to intern and shadow at a dental office, I was able to find my passion within the medical field to the extent that I found I wanted to have a career in oral surgery," explained Solheim. "By interning at a dental office I was exposed to many influential people and experienced firsthand how rewarding the career is and sending people away with bright smiles and happy faces."
 
"I'm super excited about this opportunity for Victoria," said WCU track & field head coach Jesse Norman. "I believe this is validation for the student-athlete that she is and what type of individuals we strive to have in the program. As she goes forward with her future academic career, I believe that she'll be a great ambassador for WCU and the Southern Conference."
 
Solheim is the fourth straight WCU student-athlete and 18^th overall to earn a Southern Conference postgraduate scholarship, and the third Catamount to earn the William V. Moore Scholarship since 2012-13.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount track & field and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts).
 
Western Carolina recipients of Southern Conference Postgraduate Scholarships
2020-21: Victoria Solheim (Women's Track & Field) – William V. Moore Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith
2019-20: Emily Zipay (Women's Soccer) – Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship
2018-19: Savanah Taranto (Women's Tennis) – Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship
2017-18: Kassandra Flores (Softball) – Sports Medicine Institute Scholarship presented by Spartanburg Regional Health System
2015-16: Taylor Sigmon (Softball) – Dorothy Hicks Scholarship
2014-15: Makensey Campbell (Women's Basketball) - William V. Moore Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith
2014-15: Aleshia Reese (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field) – Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship
2014-15: K.P Hicks (Football) – Mike Wood Scholarship
2013-14: Brittany Gendron (Women's Soccer) – David Knight Scholarship
2013-14: Alex Abraham (Women's Basketball) – Bob McCloskey Insurance Scholarship
2012-13: Samantha Hodge (Women's Soccer) – William V. Moore Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith
2009-10: David Gift (Men's Track & Field) - Bob McCloskey Insurance Scholarship
2005-06: Emily Pierce (Women's Soccer) - David Knight Scholarship
2004-05: Rans Brempong (Men's Basketball) – Mike Wood Foundation Scholarship
2003-04: Emre Atsur (Men's Basketball) – Mike Wood Foundation Scholarship
2003-04: Yoneko Allen (Women's Basketball) – Mike Wood Foundation Scholarship
1999-2000: Ramsey Herron (Volleyball) - Dorothy Hicks Scholarship
1995-96: Kristin Allen (Volleyball) – Dorothy Hicks Scholarship
1992-93: Susie Gardner (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field) – Dorothy Hicks Scholarship