Four Cardinals Earn ACC's 2015 Postgraduate Scholarships
February 19, 2015 | General, Academic Services
Louisville was tied for the most selections in the ACC with four: Grant Donovan (football), Katie George (women's volleyball), Erin Yenney (women's soccer) and Andrew Stewart (men's cross country).
A sports administration major, Donovan, who hails from Louisville, Ky., was a four-year letterwinner for the Cardinals. Donovan handled the long-snapping duties and was one of the best at his position in the nation. In four years, Donovan`s long-snapping never produced a mishandled snap or bad snap in 52 career games. He helped lead the Cardinals to four-straight bowl appearances and a pair of conference titles.
A captain on the women's volleyball team, George, a communications major, was an AVCA All-Region selection and was named first team All-ACC this season. As a member of the USA Volleyball National Collegiate Team, she was named All-Tournament team and helped her team win the silver medal at the European Global Challenge Tournament in Pula, Croatia. She was named the MVP and to the All-Tournament at the Morehead Tournament and made the All-Active Ankle Challenge team. George started every match and led the team with 1,163 assists and aces and registered 14 double-doubles.
An engineering major, Yenney was a four-year starter for the women's soccer team. A two-time all-conference honoree, Yenney finished her career with 13 goals and nine assists for 35 points. A member of the Athletic Director's honor roll for three-straight years, she was also a Red and Black Scholar. Yenney also served as a member of the student athlete advisory committee. Yenney was also responsible for a starting WaterStep shoe donation sites campus wide, which helped fund safe drinking water projects all over the world.
Stewart, a political science major, competed in all five races this fall for the cross country team over the last two seasons. He ran a personal best time of 31:51.5 in the 10K his junior year. Last summer, he went on a mission trip to Belize and is an active FCA member. He also participates in the reading program, visiting schools and reading books to the students. He was also a member of the Louisville student-athlete advisory committee.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $5,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, eight student-athletes will receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. They include Clemson tennis player Hunter Harrington, Duke basketball player Elizabeth Williams, Georgia Tech golfer Anders Albertson, Louisville cross country runner Andrew Stewart, North Carolina baseball player Benton Moss, Miami tennis player Monique Albuquerque, Notre Dame swimmer Emma Reaney and Virginia soccer player Morgan Brian.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James, as well as Gene Corrigan, the first three ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954-70 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served in that capacity for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.
Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles. Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were awarded as separate honors. The Jim Weaver Award, which originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James Award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.
The Thacker Award, which originated in 2005, is awarded in honor of the late Jim and Pat Thacker of Charlotte, North Carolina. Jim Thacker was the primary play-by-play announcer for the ACC's first television network. Recipients of the award must demonstrate outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom and intend to further their education through postgraduate studies at an ACC institution.
The 53 student-athletes will be honored at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club and presented by ESPN on April 15 at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro.
