PELLA — Joining an elite list of Central College student-athletes, women's track and field athlete Olivia Bohlen (senior, Belle Plaine) was awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship for academic and athletics excellence Wednesday.
           
Bohlen is Central's 28th winner of the NCAA postgraduate scholarship since 1970, when former NFL star Vern Den Herder was honored. It's the 11th selection for a member of Central's track and field program.
           
There were 42 postgraduate scholarship recipients for the spring season overall, including 16 from Division III institutions. Bohlen was the only American Rivers Conference student-athlete chosen.
           
Bohlen has finished on the pentathlon podium at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships three times in her career, most recently placing third in 2026. She's the school record holder for the 60-meter hurdles (8.77) and pentathlon (3,723 points).
           
Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, she's a seven-time all-conference honoree and six-time USTFCCCA All-Region selection.
           
A two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, Bohlen currently has a 4.00 GPA as a kinesiology major. She intends to study occupational therapy at Allen College following graduation.
 
Central's NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners
1970 – Vern Den Herder, football
1973 – Dana Snoap, men's basketball                                        
1980 – Jeff Verhoef, men's basketball                                                 
1982 – Cam Ratering, women's cross country, track and field                 
1983 – Lisa Broek, women's track and field                                          
1986 – Scott Lindell, football                                                  
1988 – Rick Perry, football                                                      
1989 – Chris Hoffman, wrestling                                              
1991 – Rich Kacmarynski, football
1995 – Emilie Hanson, women's basketball
            Rick Sanger, football
2001 – Roger Dortch, men's golf
2002 – Tony Brownlee, men's track and field
            Jon Hietbrink, men's golf
2004 – Raegan Schultz, women's track and field
2005 – Jamie Stark, volleyball
2006 – Nick Cochrane, men's tennis
            Adam Duerfeldt, baseball
2007 – Ben Bollard, men's track and field
            Alicia Whisner, women's track and field
2015 – Spencer Hammack, men's track and field
Taylor Cox, football
2016 – Riley Gray, football
2017 – Mark Fairley, men's cross country
2018 – Ryan Kruse, men's track and field
2020 – Will Daniels, men's track and field
2024 – Caroline McMartin, women's outdoor track and field     
2026 – Olivia Bohlen, women's indoor track and field