Four Cardinals Earn ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Awards
February 26, 2025 | Field Hockey, General, Academic Services
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four University of Louisville student-athletes have been selected to receive ACC postgraduate scholarship awards, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
Soledad Jean and Ty McPhail, both members of the track & field team, were named as two of the 35 recipients of the 2025 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Additionally, Jean was one of three student-athletes in the conference to receive the Jim & Pat Thacker Scholarship Award, while women's basketball player Merissah Russell and field hockey player Aimee Plumb were honored with the ACC Excellence Award.
"This year's class of ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipient showcases the best of collegiate athletics," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "The student-athletes in the ACC consistently excel in both academics and athletics, as demonstrated by this remarkable group of nearly 60 individuals. Their dedication and commitment to excellence in competition and in the classroom is truly impressive. The future is extremely bright for these outstanding student-athletes, and we are excited to continue supporting them."
The Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim & Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree after completing their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $9,000 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 and were approved by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) at the ACC Winter Meetings.
In addition to those chosen as scholarship award recipients, student-athletes who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports or career field of study were named to the 2025 ACC Excellence Award list (formerly called Honorary Scholarship nominees).
Jean is in her fourth season as a member of the Louisville track & field team, competing primarily in the high jump. Last season, she qualified for the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the women's high jump, placing 23rd to earn USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-America honors. The senior from Dix Hills, N.Y. also finished as the bronze medalist in the event at the 2023 ACC Indoor Championships to earn First Team All-ACC distinction. A psychology major, Jean has been named to the All-ACC Academic Team four times (twice during the indoor season and twice during the outdoor season) and the 2023 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team while also representing the university and the conference at the 2024 Women Leaders Convention.
McPhail, a computer information systems from Andale, Kan., is also in the midst of his fourth season as a member of the Louisville track & field program. The senior placed third at the 2022 ACC Outdoor Championships in the men's pole vault to earn a spot on the All-ACC First Team while also garnering Second Team All-ACC recognition with his performance at the 2024 ACC Indoor Championships. McPhail has also been named to the All-ACC Academic Team four times (twice during the indoor season and twice during the outdoor season) over the course of his career and has been recognized as a member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team twice. He was also one of four student-athletes to represent Louisville at the 2024 INFLCR NIL Summit in Atlanta, Ga.
Russell has played 135 games over her five-year career with the Louisville women's basketball program. She has played in three Elite Eights with the Cardinals and was part of the 2022 Final Four Team. Russell also won a gold medal with the Cards at the 2023 Globl Jam Tournament up in her home country of Canada. This season, she has played in all 27 games and made three starts. She has scored in double figures three times on the year, twice coming against ranked opponents.
A standout field hockey player for the Cardinals for the past five years, Plumb earned her third National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America honor in 2024 after scoring four goals and dishing out four assists. The midfielder and co-team captain from Canterbury Kent, England, also garnered her fifth straight NFHCA All-West Region team selection and third All-ACC recognition this year. The psychology major and fifth-year senior has collected numerous academic honors throughout her career. Some of her highlights include being twice named the ACC Field Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year (2022, 2023) and NFHCA National Scholar Athlete (2020, 2021). She is also a five-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction and All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team honoree.
To be eligible for ACC postgraduate scholarships, nominees must have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically with an overall minimum accumulative grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent. The student-athlete must have completed at least seven semesters and completed or will complete their baccalaureate degree, at an ACC institution, prior to receiving the postgraduate scholarship, and performed with distinction as a member of a varsity team specifically represented by local, conference, regional and/or national athletic recognition. The nominees also must have conducted themselves, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to themselves, their institution, intercollegiate athletics, and the ideals and objectives of higher education.
The ACC has selected postgraduate scholarship recipients annually since 1971. Over that time, the league has provided nearly $4.7 million to more than 1,000 ACC student-athletes.
This year's class of postgraduate scholarship recipients will be highlighted on ACC Network during live programming from March through June. Each of the ACC's 18 member schools will also recognize their respective honorees on each of their respective campuses.
The following student-athletes will be recognized as 2025 ACC Postgraduate Scholars:
2025 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Award Recipients
Name, Sport, Institution, Major
Levi Hughes, Men's Fencing, Boston College, Economics
Annabelle Hasselbeck, Women's Lacrosse, Boston College, Communication
Aidan Li, Men's Gymnastics, California, Mechanical Engineering
Antonia Galland, Women's Rowing, California, Society and Environment
Lucas Mahlstedt, Baseball, Clemson, Physics and Astronomy
Emily Lamparter, Women's Lacrosse, Clemson, Food Science & Human Nutrition
Megan Maransky, Field Hockey, Duke, Biology
Andrew McAdorey, Men's Lacrosse, Duke, Political Science
Heather Gilchrist, Women's Soccer, Florida State, Finance
David Quirie, Men's Swimming & Diving, Florida State, Chemical Engineering
Kate Sharabura, Women's Tennis, Georgia Tech, Biology
Henry Freer, Football, Georgia Tech, Chemical Engineering
Soledad Jean, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Louisville, Psychology
Ty McPhail, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field, Louisville, Computer Information Systems
Dorian Gonzalez, Baseball, Miami, Finance
Alexa Noel, Women's Tennis, Miami, Sports Administration
J.J. Jones, Football, North Carolina, Media and Journalism
Riley Quartermain, Women's Golf, North Carolina, English and Comparative Literature
Amanda Rice, Women's Volleyball, NC State, Biological Science/Human Biology
Will Buete, Men's Soccer, NC State, Business Administration
Siona Chisholm, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Notre Dame, Psychology
Matthew Roou, Men's Soccer, Notre Dame, Finance
Emmy Klika, Women's Volleyball, Pitt, Sport Science
Cameron Cash , Men's Swimming & Diving, Pitt, Biology
Russell Exum, Men's Swimming & Diving, SMU, Economics
Raelyn Roberson, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, SMU, Management
Andrea Kitahata, Women's Soccer, Stanford, Symbolic Systems
Saniaa Wilson, Women's Basketball, Syracuse, Communications and Rhetorical Studies
Lauren Coop, Women's Rowing, Syracuse, Applied Data Analytics and Policy Studies
Eden Bigham, Softball, Virginia, Cognitive Science
Griffin Schutz, Men's Lacrosse, Virginia, Environmental Sciences
Anna Summers, Women's Swimming & Diving, Virginia Tech, Public Health
Charlotte Cartledge, Women's Tennis, Virginia Tech, Management Consulting Analysis
Laurel Ansbrow, Women's Soccer, Wake Forest, Health and Exercise Science
Nicholas Andersen, Football, Wake Forest, Communication
2025 Jim & Pat Thacker Scholarship Award Recipients
Name, Institution, Sport, Major
Soledad Jean, Louisville, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Psychology *
Emma Klika, Pitt, Volleyball, Sport Science *
Russell Exum, SMU, Men's Swimming & Diving, Economics *
2025 ACC Excellence Award List (Formerly Honorary Postgraduate Scholarship Nominees)
Name, Sport, Institution, Major
Julia Haggerty, Women's Volleyball, Boston College, Management
Arianna Manrique, Women's Soccer, California, Psychology
Jamie Arnold, Women's Rowing, California, Society and Environment
Andrew Swanson, Men's Golf, Clemson, Mathematical Sciences
Rebecca Wells, Women's Gymnastics, Clemson, Athletic Leadership
Gloria Muzito, Women's Swimming & Diving, Florida State, Sport Management
John Giesler, Baseball, Georgia Tech, Real Estate Development
Kylie Bilchev, Women's Tennis, Georgia Tech, Biology
Merissah Russell, Women's Basketball, Louisville, Business Administration
Aimee Plumb, Field Hockey, Louisville, Psychology
Mia Vallee, Women's Swimming & Diving, Miami, Marine Biology and Ecology
Maxwell Flory, Men's Swimming & Diving, Miami, Sports Administration
Alyssa Ustby, Women's Basketball, North Carolina, Media and Journalism
Parker Wolfe, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field, North Carolina, Exercise and Sport Science
Chloe Negrete, Women's Gymnastics, NC State, Sport Management
Jaiden Thomas, Women's Soccer, NC State, Sport Management/Liberal Studies
Rebeca Candescu, Women's Fencing, Notre Dame, Neuroscience and Behavior
Benjamin Ramsey, Men's Lacrosse, Notre Dame, Finance
Jonathan McGill, Football, SMU, Liberal Studies
Raelyn Roberson, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, SMU, Management *
Hunter Hollenbeck, Men's Swimming & Diving, Stanford, Electrical Engineering
Andrea Kitahata, Women's Soccer, Stanford, Symbolic Systems *
Emma Ward, Women's Lacrosse, Syracuse, Firearm and Toolmark Examination
Matthew Hunter, Men's Soccer, Virginia, Psychology
Ella Bathurst, Women's Swimming & Diving, Virginia, Marketing & Management
Anna Summers, Women's Swimming & Diving, Virginia Tech, Public Health *
Charlotte Cartledge, Women's Tennis, Virginia Tech, Management Consulting Analysis *
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Women's Golf, Wake Forest, Psychology
*also a recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford-Award
Soledad Jean and Ty McPhail, both members of the track & field team, were named as two of the 35 recipients of the 2025 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Additionally, Jean was one of three student-athletes in the conference to receive the Jim & Pat Thacker Scholarship Award, while women's basketball player Merissah Russell and field hockey player Aimee Plumb were honored with the ACC Excellence Award.
"This year's class of ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipient showcases the best of collegiate athletics," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "The student-athletes in the ACC consistently excel in both academics and athletics, as demonstrated by this remarkable group of nearly 60 individuals. Their dedication and commitment to excellence in competition and in the classroom is truly impressive. The future is extremely bright for these outstanding student-athletes, and we are excited to continue supporting them."
The Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim & Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree after completing their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $9,000 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 and were approved by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) at the ACC Winter Meetings.
In addition to those chosen as scholarship award recipients, student-athletes who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports or career field of study were named to the 2025 ACC Excellence Award list (formerly called Honorary Scholarship nominees).
Jean is in her fourth season as a member of the Louisville track & field team, competing primarily in the high jump. Last season, she qualified for the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the women's high jump, placing 23rd to earn USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-America honors. The senior from Dix Hills, N.Y. also finished as the bronze medalist in the event at the 2023 ACC Indoor Championships to earn First Team All-ACC distinction. A psychology major, Jean has been named to the All-ACC Academic Team four times (twice during the indoor season and twice during the outdoor season) and the 2023 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team while also representing the university and the conference at the 2024 Women Leaders Convention.
McPhail, a computer information systems from Andale, Kan., is also in the midst of his fourth season as a member of the Louisville track & field program. The senior placed third at the 2022 ACC Outdoor Championships in the men's pole vault to earn a spot on the All-ACC First Team while also garnering Second Team All-ACC recognition with his performance at the 2024 ACC Indoor Championships. McPhail has also been named to the All-ACC Academic Team four times (twice during the indoor season and twice during the outdoor season) over the course of his career and has been recognized as a member of the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team twice. He was also one of four student-athletes to represent Louisville at the 2024 INFLCR NIL Summit in Atlanta, Ga.
Russell has played 135 games over her five-year career with the Louisville women's basketball program. She has played in three Elite Eights with the Cardinals and was part of the 2022 Final Four Team. Russell also won a gold medal with the Cards at the 2023 Globl Jam Tournament up in her home country of Canada. This season, she has played in all 27 games and made three starts. She has scored in double figures three times on the year, twice coming against ranked opponents.
A standout field hockey player for the Cardinals for the past five years, Plumb earned her third National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America honor in 2024 after scoring four goals and dishing out four assists. The midfielder and co-team captain from Canterbury Kent, England, also garnered her fifth straight NFHCA All-West Region team selection and third All-ACC recognition this year. The psychology major and fifth-year senior has collected numerous academic honors throughout her career. Some of her highlights include being twice named the ACC Field Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year (2022, 2023) and NFHCA National Scholar Athlete (2020, 2021). She is also a five-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction and All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team honoree.
To be eligible for ACC postgraduate scholarships, nominees must have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically with an overall minimum accumulative grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent. The student-athlete must have completed at least seven semesters and completed or will complete their baccalaureate degree, at an ACC institution, prior to receiving the postgraduate scholarship, and performed with distinction as a member of a varsity team specifically represented by local, conference, regional and/or national athletic recognition. The nominees also must have conducted themselves, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to themselves, their institution, intercollegiate athletics, and the ideals and objectives of higher education.
The ACC has selected postgraduate scholarship recipients annually since 1971. Over that time, the league has provided nearly $4.7 million to more than 1,000 ACC student-athletes.
This year's class of postgraduate scholarship recipients will be highlighted on ACC Network during live programming from March through June. Each of the ACC's 18 member schools will also recognize their respective honorees on each of their respective campuses.
The following student-athletes will be recognized as 2025 ACC Postgraduate Scholars:
2025 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Award Recipients
Name, Sport, Institution, Major
Levi Hughes, Men's Fencing, Boston College, Economics
Annabelle Hasselbeck, Women's Lacrosse, Boston College, Communication
Aidan Li, Men's Gymnastics, California, Mechanical Engineering
Antonia Galland, Women's Rowing, California, Society and Environment
Lucas Mahlstedt, Baseball, Clemson, Physics and Astronomy
Emily Lamparter, Women's Lacrosse, Clemson, Food Science & Human Nutrition
Megan Maransky, Field Hockey, Duke, Biology
Andrew McAdorey, Men's Lacrosse, Duke, Political Science
Heather Gilchrist, Women's Soccer, Florida State, Finance
David Quirie, Men's Swimming & Diving, Florida State, Chemical Engineering
Kate Sharabura, Women's Tennis, Georgia Tech, Biology
Henry Freer, Football, Georgia Tech, Chemical Engineering
Soledad Jean, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Louisville, Psychology
Ty McPhail, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field, Louisville, Computer Information Systems
Dorian Gonzalez, Baseball, Miami, Finance
Alexa Noel, Women's Tennis, Miami, Sports Administration
J.J. Jones, Football, North Carolina, Media and Journalism
Riley Quartermain, Women's Golf, North Carolina, English and Comparative Literature
Amanda Rice, Women's Volleyball, NC State, Biological Science/Human Biology
Will Buete, Men's Soccer, NC State, Business Administration
Siona Chisholm, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Notre Dame, Psychology
Matthew Roou, Men's Soccer, Notre Dame, Finance
Emmy Klika, Women's Volleyball, Pitt, Sport Science
Cameron Cash , Men's Swimming & Diving, Pitt, Biology
Russell Exum, Men's Swimming & Diving, SMU, Economics
Raelyn Roberson, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, SMU, Management
Andrea Kitahata, Women's Soccer, Stanford, Symbolic Systems
Saniaa Wilson, Women's Basketball, Syracuse, Communications and Rhetorical Studies
Lauren Coop, Women's Rowing, Syracuse, Applied Data Analytics and Policy Studies
Eden Bigham, Softball, Virginia, Cognitive Science
Griffin Schutz, Men's Lacrosse, Virginia, Environmental Sciences
Anna Summers, Women's Swimming & Diving, Virginia Tech, Public Health
Charlotte Cartledge, Women's Tennis, Virginia Tech, Management Consulting Analysis
Laurel Ansbrow, Women's Soccer, Wake Forest, Health and Exercise Science
Nicholas Andersen, Football, Wake Forest, Communication
2025 Jim & Pat Thacker Scholarship Award Recipients
Name, Institution, Sport, Major
Soledad Jean, Louisville, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Psychology *
Emma Klika, Pitt, Volleyball, Sport Science *
Russell Exum, SMU, Men's Swimming & Diving, Economics *
2025 ACC Excellence Award List (Formerly Honorary Postgraduate Scholarship Nominees)
Name, Sport, Institution, Major
Julia Haggerty, Women's Volleyball, Boston College, Management
Arianna Manrique, Women's Soccer, California, Psychology
Jamie Arnold, Women's Rowing, California, Society and Environment
Andrew Swanson, Men's Golf, Clemson, Mathematical Sciences
Rebecca Wells, Women's Gymnastics, Clemson, Athletic Leadership
Gloria Muzito, Women's Swimming & Diving, Florida State, Sport Management
John Giesler, Baseball, Georgia Tech, Real Estate Development
Kylie Bilchev, Women's Tennis, Georgia Tech, Biology
Merissah Russell, Women's Basketball, Louisville, Business Administration
Aimee Plumb, Field Hockey, Louisville, Psychology
Mia Vallee, Women's Swimming & Diving, Miami, Marine Biology and Ecology
Maxwell Flory, Men's Swimming & Diving, Miami, Sports Administration
Alyssa Ustby, Women's Basketball, North Carolina, Media and Journalism
Parker Wolfe, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field, North Carolina, Exercise and Sport Science
Chloe Negrete, Women's Gymnastics, NC State, Sport Management
Jaiden Thomas, Women's Soccer, NC State, Sport Management/Liberal Studies
Rebeca Candescu, Women's Fencing, Notre Dame, Neuroscience and Behavior
Benjamin Ramsey, Men's Lacrosse, Notre Dame, Finance
Jonathan McGill, Football, SMU, Liberal Studies
Raelyn Roberson, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, SMU, Management *
Hunter Hollenbeck, Men's Swimming & Diving, Stanford, Electrical Engineering
Andrea Kitahata, Women's Soccer, Stanford, Symbolic Systems *
Emma Ward, Women's Lacrosse, Syracuse, Firearm and Toolmark Examination
Matthew Hunter, Men's Soccer, Virginia, Psychology
Ella Bathurst, Women's Swimming & Diving, Virginia, Marketing & Management
Anna Summers, Women's Swimming & Diving, Virginia Tech, Public Health *
Charlotte Cartledge, Women's Tennis, Virginia Tech, Management Consulting Analysis *
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Women's Golf, Wake Forest, Psychology
*also a recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford-Award
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Field HockeyThe Card Tape: Cardinals vs. Panthers
Monday, September 29
Ron English Press Conference 9-29-25
Monday, September 29
Nate Kurisky & D'Angelo Hutchinson Presser 9-29-25
Monday, September 29
Jeff Brohm Weekly Press Conference 9-29-2025
Monday, September 29
