New Scholarship Funds Announced And Awarded For UW Female Student-Athletes

Laramie, WY - The University of Wyoming Athletics Department announced today that a new scholarship fund has been established by donors Keith and Pat Bailey of Saratoga, Wyo., in partnership with the Williams Foundation of Tulsa, Okla.  The “Williams Scholars” award will be presented to the top UW female student-athletes majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs over the next four years.

The first three recipients of the Williams Scholars award are: Sarah Hankins of the Cowgirl golf team (pictured above left) Taylor Rusk (center) and Clara Tapia (right) of the women’s basketball team.  Hankins, a junior, has achieved a 3.6 cumulative grade point average in mechanical engineering.  Rusk, who is a sophomore pursuing a major in nursing with a minor in business, has earned a perfect 4.0 cumulative gpa, and Tapia, a junior, has achieved a perfect 4.0 cumulative gpa in molecular biology and chemistry.

“I was fortunate enough to play intercollegiate football and basketball while I was pursuing my engineering degree,” said Keith Bailey.  “This was at a time women had limited opportunities in both areas.  So it made sense to Pat and me when we were considering partnering with Williams, the company that enabled us to have the capacity to make this gift, to focus our giving in a way to provide the sorts of opportunities I enjoyed for the young women who are pursuing a similar path today.”

“The University of Wyoming is very fortunate to have donors like Keith and Pat Bailey, who have established these types of scholarships that recognize and benefit our top female student athletes,” said Randy Welniak, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development and Revenue Enhancement.  “It’s gratifying to see individuals partner with corporations to make that type of commitment to our scholarship program.”

Keith Bailey will be in attendance at the Wyoming versus Utah State women’s basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 20 to present this year’s scholarships to Hankins, Rusk and Tapia.  Saturday’s game will tip off at 2 p.m. in Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium.  Rusk and Tapia will be awarded their scholarships by Keith Bailey during pregame activities on Saturday, and Hankins will be presented her scholarship during the first quarter of Saturday’s game.