Jan. 24, 2008

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Caleb Kirk, a four-year letter winner on the Cal gymnastics team, was awarded the Pac-10 Conference's Living the Dream Scholarship, it was announced Jan. 17. The award, which is sponsored by the World Financial Group, is given to one male and one female Pac-10 student-athlete each year, and the student receives $5000 for postgraduate study. The award recognizes student-athletes who participated on their school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and also showed leadership outside of athletics.

Kirk was an accomplished gymnast at Cal and he helped lead the team to its highest event score at the 2007 NCAA Championships when he posted a 9.45 on rings, which equaled his career high. Kirk also earned two team awards - Big C and Most Improved - after his freshman campaign in 2004. In addition to his athletic accolades, Kirk was a two-time Academic All-MPSF scholar-athlete and also received the Balanced Man Scholarship.

Away from the gym, Kirk demonstrated his leadership through outreach and service through SAAC and other campus organizations. The MiWuk Village, Calif. native has served as a teacher at the Anatomy Enrichment Program, a summer retreat counselor and church minister, as well as spending time as a worship leader in Berkeley's Campus Crusade for Christ. Kirk also worked with Cal's SAAC and helped the group raise donations for local charities during a Thanksgiving food drive.

Kirk and his female counterpart - Whitney Myers, a swimmer from Arizona - will be recognized at the Pacific Life Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament in March. To be eligible, nominees must have completed their athletic eligibility, be currently attending or have future plans for graduate school, have been a letterwinner in a varsity sport and have spent at least one year on the campus' SAAC. Also nominated for the 2006-07 "Living the Dream" Scholarship: Adam Ritter, Arizona; Ryan McBride, Arizona State; Cassidy Farwell, Arizona State; Jenny Wendell, California; Julia Drewes, Stanford; Jackie Nguyen, UCLA; Travis Boyd, Washington.