Four UofL Student-Athletes Honored as Weaver-James-Corrigan Award Recipients
February 28, 2018 | Field Hockey, Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Academic Services
Inger Katrine Bjerke (women’s soccer), Kirsti Harrison (rowing), Gabbie Wiley (volleyball) and Nicole Woods (field hockey) among 52 recipients from the ACC
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville student-athletes Inger Katrine Bjerke (women's soccer), Kirsti Harrison (rowing), Gabbie Wiley (volleyball) and Nicole Woods (field hockey) were among 52 recipients of the 2018 Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarships and awards announced Wednesday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
This year's list of honorees includes three student-athletes who will receive the Thacker Award and nine student-athletes who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports and were named honorary recipients, which includes Louisville's Bjerke.
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.
The student-athletes will be honored at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Luncheon presented by ESPN on April 11. The luncheon will be hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Imperial Ballroom in Greensboro.
INGER KATRINE BJERKE
Bjerke was a four year starter for the Cardinals at center back. She helped anchor the Cards' defense, producing 22 career shutouts. Bjerke finished her career with four goals and one assist for nine points. She scored a career best two goals during her junior year. Majoring in business, Bjerke was a four-year member of the AD Honor Roll and was named to the ACC Honor Roll.  Â
KIRSTI HARRISON
A senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Harrison was a CRCA Second Team All-America selection in 2017 while also earning CRCA First Team All-Region and All-ACC Second Team recognition during her junior season with the Cardinals. Having rowed exclusively in Louisville's varsity eight boat throughout her collegiate career, Harrison was also a First Team CRCA All-Region honoree and an All-ACC First Team selection as a sophomore in 2016. Off the water, she is a two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection and a two-time All-ACC Academic Rowing Team honoree while majoring in exercise science.
GABBIE WILEY
Wiley is a defensive specialist known for her strong serving kills. As team captain, she was second on the team in service aces with 27 and 379 digs. A two-year starter, she played in 333 career sets with 653 career digs and 59 career aces and helped lead the Cardinals to ACC Championships in 2015 and 2017. An outstanding student, the pre-med major has never missed a semester on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Red & Black Scholar, and the Dean's List.
NICOLE WOODS
A Beverly, Massachusetts, native majoring in middle and secondary education, Woods was named the 2017 ACC Field Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year and is a three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree. Following her senior season Woods earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America First Team, All-ACC First Team honors and became the first player in program history to be named the NFHCA West Region Player of the Year. The team co-captain started all 22 games for the Cardinals, tallying six goals and 19 points. Woods is also a member of USA Field Hockey's National Team.
ABOUT THE WEAVER-JAMES-CORRIGAN AWARD
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. Boston College's Jacqueline McDonnell, Notre Dame's Douglas Martini and Virginia's Veronica Latsko are this year's Thacker Award winners.
The following student-athletes will be honored as 2018 ACC Postgraduate Scholars:
| Daniel Creighton | Boston College | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Jacqueline McDonnell* | Boston College | Rowing |
| Daniela Ruiz Alvarez | Clemson | Women's Tennis |
| Marisa Messana | Clemson | Women's Golf |
| Grace Barnett | Clemson | Women's Cross Country /Track |
| Madison Heath | Duke | Women's Cross Country /Track |
| Schuyler DeBree | Duke | Women's Soccer |
| Gabe Brandner | Duke | Football |
| Vanessa Freire | Florida State | Women's Beach Volleyball |
| Morgan Klaevemann | Florida State | Softball |
| Dylan Grisell | Florida State | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Angelica Henderson | Georgia Tech | Women's Cross Country /Track |
| Alex Grady | Georgia Tech | Men's Cross Country /Track |
| Michael Kay | Georgia Tech | Men's Tennis |
| Gabbie Wiley | Louisville | Women's Volleyball |
| Nicole Woods | Louisville | Field Hockey |
| Kirsti Harrison | Louisville | Rowing |
| Wallace Layland | Miami | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Sinead Lohan | Miami | Women's Tennis |
| Veronica Johnson | Miami | Women's Soccer |
| David October | North Carolina | Men's Soccer |
| Emily Godwin | North Carolina | Women's Track & Field |
| Morgan Lane | North Carolina | Women's Gymnastics |
| Kaitlyn Kearney | NC State | Women's Volleyball |
| Erika Kemp | NC State | Women's Cross Country/Track |
| Soren Dahl | NC State | Men's Swimming and Diving |
| Monica Flores | Notre Dame | Women's Soccer |
| Katherine Uhler | Notre Dame | Women's Soccer |
| Douglas Martini* | Notre Dame | Football |
| Ryan Winslow | Pittsburgh | Football |
| Andin Fosam | Pittsburgh | Women's Cross County/Track |
| Meme Sharp | Pittsburgh | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Laura Hurff | Syracuse | Field Hockey |
| Stephanie Grossi | Syracuse | Women's Ice Hockey |
| Patrick Castle | Syracuse | Men's Soccer |
| Holly Sullivan | Virginia | Women's Cross Country/Track |
| Corey Johnson | Virginia | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Veronica Latsko* | Virginia | Women's Soccer |
| Vincent Ciattei | Virginia Tech | Men's Cross Country/Track |
| Alani Johnson | Virginia Tech | Women's Soccer |
| Christian Seraphim | Wake Forest | Men's Tennis |
| Kevin Politz | Wake Forest | Men's Soccer |
| Maddie Huster | Wake Forest | Women's Soccer |
Honorary Postgraduate Scholarship Nominees
| Oliver Shannon | Clemson | Men's Soccer |
| Leona Maguire | Duke | Women's Golf |
| Natalie Pierce | Florida State | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Kel Johnson | Georgia Tech | Baseball |
| Inger Katrine Bjerke | Louisville | Women's Soccer |
| Ben Griffin | North Carolina | Men's Golf |
| Peter Renda | NC State | Wrestling |
| John Sexton | Notre Dame | Men's Lacrosse |
| Cam Serigne | Wake Forest | Football |
*-Thacker Award recipient
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Players Mentioned
