UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men’s soccer senior Ben Liscum has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, one of the most prestigious recognitions granted by the NCAA.
Liscum is Penn State’s 54th recipient of the award. 2024 and 2025 mark the first consecutive years that Penn State has had an NCAA Postgraduate Scholar since 2012 and 2013.
The NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
The Lewisburg, Pennsylvania native is a finance major with a cumulative 3.73 GPA. He is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and earned a Big Ten Scholar of Distinction nod in 2023-24. On the field, Ben has appeared in 50 games, starting in 31. He has three goals and two assists in his career.
The senior is a major contributor in the team’s efforts with local elementary schools where the team goes to read to classrooms and join the kids at recess. Liscum is the president of SAAC and he has organized events with the State College/PSU Police Department for Toys for Tots. He volunteered a great deal of time last year as THON Chair and helped organize Athlete Hour and Pep Rally at THON Weekend 2024. He spearheaded the efforts for $80,000 raised for THON from SAAC. He participated in an Athletics’ Trick or Treating event at Beaver Stadium. He also volunteered during the Athletics’ Replay event in April where community comes into Multi Sport to interact and play sports with different student athletes. He participated in a GiveB1G / Families for Families food collection drive to help the less fortunate and helped organize a Jared Box Project.
Graduation Success Rates
Penn State student-athletes continue to register record-breaking graduation rates and perform well above their peers nationwide. The Nittany Lions posted a record-tying 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 11 programs earned perfect 100% ratings. This is the eighth consecutive year the Nittany Lions posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom, according to data reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The NCAA's annual graduation rates report of Division I institutions across the nation revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93% to equal the school’s all-time record of 93%, which was set in the 2023 NCAA report. Nittany Lion students posted a 93% graduation rate compared to the 90% average for all Division I institutions for student-athletes entering from 2014-15 academic year through the 2017-18 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have logged a Graduation Success Rate in the 88-93% range during each of the past 18 NCAA reports, improving from 88% in the 2015 report to a record-tying 93% report in the 2024 report.
Penn State Among the Nation's Most Comprehensive and Successful Athletic Programs
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.