DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis sprinter
Michael Wheeler has been awarded a grant from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Wheeler, who graduates with a double major in history and economics and a minor in German, plans to pursue a career in the Foreign Service and will teach in Germany.
"I'm really looking forward to spending a year in Germany," Wheeler said. "I've been interested in Germany and German culture for quite a while. I've been learning the language for a long time."
The program provides grants for individually designed study and research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. Fulbrighters meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. Through community engagement, Fulbrighters interact with their hosts in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.
"There's a lot of talented, qualified people who applied for it, and I feel very lucky that I was able to get it," said Wheeler, who was one of five Aggies to earn the grant. "It means a lot to me."
Wheeler competed in cross country and track and field across his four years at UC Davis. After a promising freshman season, the COVID-19 pandemic and an Achilles injury in August 2020 cut down his time in running.
"It was challenging," Wheeler said. "COVID-19 caused its own complications. Towards the end, I started to get the injury bug. It was very frustrating having to deal with my body when I see my teammates doing things that I knew I could be doing if my body was treating me better. Running was an experience, but a challenging one."
In 2019, Wheeler saw action in two track and field home meets where he finished a 3K in 9:23.11 at Aggie Open and a 5K in 16:33.10 in Causeway Classic. Wheeler also competed in five cross country meets, including placing 39th in the Big West Conference Championships.
Wheeler is grateful for the great memories he made with his running mates.
"One of the things that people really enjoy about college running is just every day running with your buddies, especially at UC Davis," Wheeler said. "There's a really nice social aspect that goes along with it. There's a communal suffering to an extent that is rewarding. I think that day to day is what I really enjoyed."
Wheeler's favorite memory was running in the 2020 Cal Opener, days before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of the season.
"We all ran up and there was this beautiful view of the Bay," Wheeler said. "It's moments like that that you remember, especially for someone like me who was fighting for my place in the varsity team. I was able to find something different in the midst of all the running. Take a moment to enjoy where you are. That's the sort of thing that has stuck with me."
Wheeler is the fourth Aggie student-athlete in as many years to receive a grant from the program. He joins former football team captain Tiger Garcia (2021), soccer player Wallis Lapsley (2020) and field hockey player Beth Lee (2019). Distance runner Kenneth Smallwood also received the award back in 1987.
"It's really nice to be recognized," Wheeler said. "It's a very well-known program and I'm looking forward to meeting the other grantees that are going to be in my region. It's going to be a little like going to college again."
