JuliAnne Chisholm: Kansas State’s First 3-Sport Scholarship Athlete

Julianne Chisholm is one of the most well-rounded athletes in K-State history. Not since the days before athletic scholarships were offered has the school seen an athlete compete in three sports. And yet, here she is, preparing to compete in the high jump–her goal is to clear 5’8″–at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships this weekend, after completing her volleyball and basketball career’s earlier in this academic year.

Chisholm won 6 athletic “letters” while at KSU. Four of these letters came in volleyball, where she also was named an Academic All-American by ESPN the Magazine after leading the team in kills in 2009. She also gained two letters in basketball, even starting several games for Deb Patterson’s squad during her two years on the team. And two weeks ago, she competed for the first time in track at KSU, clearing 5’6″ in the high jump in a meet at Nebraska.

But for all her athletic achievements, Chisholm is an even bigger star in the classroom. This weekend, she will walk across the stage at graduation, having attained a dual major in athletic training and life science, with a dual minor in biology and kinesiology.

Chisholm is such a fine student, in fact, that the University of Kansas Medical School in Salina has offered her a scholarship worth $45,000 per year for four years. As part of the terms of the scholarship, she will then serve as a rural doctor in Kansas. As the scholarship committee defines “rural” as any county other than Shawnee, Johnson, Douglas, and Sedgwick, Chisholm might very well find herself back in the Manhattan community after her time in medical school is finished. When asked about the possibility, she said, “That’s all in God’s hands, but wouldn’t that be wonderful.”

I am sure the community of Manhattan feels the same way.