SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference announced on Wednesday their major annual year-end honors, with University of Portland cross country and track student-athlete Katie Newton earning the 2024–2025 WCC Female Postgraduate Scholarship. 

The postgraduate scholarship is awarded to one male and female student-athlete each academic year and is one of several major awards announced at the end of the year. To qualify, a candidate must hold at least a 3.5 GPA, demonstrate a significant athletic contribution on the varsity athletic level in a WCC sponsored sport and participate in a WCC sport for a minimum of two years. They must also have a record of engaging in various campus or community activities and must have completed their athletic eligibility while also competing in the year they are nominated. 

Newton is the 10th Pilot to earn the honor since the WCC began awarding postgraduate scholarships in 2004 and the fifth female student-athlete. She's the first Pilot to earn honors since Anna Farello in 2017. Newton graduated in 2025 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry, along with a minor in mathematics. She held a 3.97 GPA and was recognized on the Dean's List every semester. Her academic honors include the 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship and the 2025 University of Portland William and Lavina Wilson Award in Chemistry. 

In addition to her studies, Newton conducted advanced undergraduate research at both the University of Portland and NYU. Her work includes mathematical modeling of the opioid epidemic and computational research on HIV-1 RNA. She presented at national conferences and co-authored peer-reviewed publications in her field. 

On the track, Newton was the 2024 Indoor Mile Champion at Portland Indoor 2 and holds personal bests of 5:09 in the mile and 18:07 in the 5,000 meters. She has earned multiple WCC and MPSF academic honors during her time at UP. 

Beyond her academic and athletic success, Newton has made a major impact through leadership and service. She served as President of Portland's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Chair of the WCC SAAC and interim representative to the NCAA national SAAC, helping lead conversations about the future of college athletics and supporting fellow student-athletes. 

This fall, Newton will begin her PhD in Therapeutic Sciences at Brown University, where she plans to research treatments for neurological disorders and pain perception. Her goal is to build a career in medical research, then teach at the university level while also staying involved in college athletics through academic and leadership roles.