University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Middleton, Williams Earn ACC Postgraduate Scholarships
2/21/2020 1:12:00 PM | General, Volleyball, Track & Field
Taylor Middleton and Stephanie Williams have been selected as 2020 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients
PITTSBURGH – Two student-athletes from the University of Pittsburgh have been selected as 2020 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients, the league announced Friday. The ACC honors 50 student athletes with the award.
Stephanie Williams of women's volleyball and of Taylor Middleton of women's track & field will each receive the ACC's prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Award, as well as $6,000 toward 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 April 8. The luncheon will be hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Imperial Ballroom in Greensboro, N.C.
STEPHANIE WILLIAMS – VOLLEYBALL – EXERCISE SCIENCE
A three-time AVCA All-America honoree, Williams has etched her name several times in the Pitt volleyball record book, where she ranks in the program's all-time top 10 for career kills, attempts, service aces and digs. The Eastlake, Ohio, native is the first Panther to earn four consecutive All-ACC selections and is one of just three in program history to record more than 1,300 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. Her prolific career extends to the classroom, where she is a four-time member of the All-ACC Academic Team.
TAYLOR MIDDLETON – TRACK & FIELD – MARKETING
A two-time All-ACC performer in jumps (long and triple), Middleton has become one of the best jumpers in the conference as well as in Pitt history. Middleton currently holds the third best indoor long jump and seventh best indoor triple jump in program history. In outdoor, the senior sits in fourth place in the long jump and fifth place in the triple jump in program history. The Dayton, Ohio native has also participated in the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in each of her last two seasons for the Panthers. Middleton currently has the fifth best long jump in the ACC this season and with the ACC Indoor Championships quickly approaching she should be considered one of the favorites to place at the conference meet.
PITT'S ALL-TIME ACC POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES
The following student-athletes will be honored as 2020 ACC Postgraduate Scholars:
NAME, INSTITUTION, SPORT, MAJOR
Catherine Balido, Boston College, Women's Volleyball, Communication
Sean Burke, Boston College, Men's Cross-Country/Track & Field, Biochemistry
Brigid Wood, Boston College, Field hockey, Marketing and Operations Management
Aliute Udoka, Clemson, Rowing, Animal & Veterinary Sciences
Brittany Aveni, Duke, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Evolutionary Anthropology
Eoin Gronningsater, Duke, Men's Fencing, Political Science
Nathaniel Hernandez, Duke, Men's Swimming and Diving, Biology
Ayla Bonniwell, Florida State, Women's Swimming and Diving, Finance
Trent Forrest, Florida State, Men's Basketball, Sport Management
Shanice Love, Florida State, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Accounting
Ellen Flood, Georgia Tech, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Industrial Engineering
Andrew Li, Georgia Tech, Men's Tennis, Business with a Concentration in Accounting
Nami Otsuka, Georgia Tech, Women's Tennis, Biology
Carter Ayars, Louisville, Field hockey, Health and Human Performance in Exercise Science
Melanie McHenry, Louisville, Women's Volleyball, Early Elementary Education
Grace Oglesby, Louisville, Women's Swimming and Diving, Sport Administration
Dane Dunlap, Miami, Men's Tennis, Finance
Claire McGinnis, Miami, Women's Swimming and Diving, Accounting and Finance
Maria Estela Perez Somarriba Yravedra, Miami, Women's Tennis, Economics
*Mia Fradenburg, North Carolina, Women's Volleyball, Environmental Health
Katie Hoeg, North Carolina, Women's Lacrosse, Biology
McKinley McNeill, North Carolina, Women's Track & Field, Communications Studies
Kristina Schuster, NC State, Women's Soccer, Accounting
Andreas Vazaios, NC State, Men's Swimming and Diving, Psychology
Katie Marino, Notre Dame, Softball, Science-Business
*Zoe Spence, Notre Dame, Women's Tennis, Political Science & Film, Television and Theatre
Jemma Yeadon, Notre Dame, Women's Volleyball, Neuroscience and Behavior
Taylor Middleton, Pittsburgh, Women's Track & Field, Business Administration/Marketing
Stephanie Williams, Pittsburgh, Women's Volleyball, Exercise Science
*Ryan Guthrie, Syracuse, Football, Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Lila Nazarian, Syracuse, Women's Lacrosse, Citizen and Civic Engagement, Political Science
Miranda Ramirez, Syracuse, Women's Tennis, Accounting
Jordan Mack, Virginia, Football, Youth and Social Innovation
Zoe Morse, Virginia, Women's Soccer, Global Studies
Carl Söderlund, Virginia, Men's Tennis, Economics
Sarah Edwards, Virginia Tech, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Interior Design
Natalie Novotna, Virginia Tech, Women's Tennis, Biochemistry (BS), Chemistry (BA)
Jaylyn Thompson, Virginia Tech, Women's Soccer, Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise
Madison Hammond, Wake Forest, Women's Soccer, English
Alistair Johnston, Wake Forest, Men's Soccer, Economics
Elijah Shalaway, Wake Forest, Men's Cross-Country/Track & Field, English
*Thacker Award
HONORARY POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP NOMINEES
NAME, INSTITUTION, SPORT, MAJOR
Ana Paula Valdes, Clemson, Women's Golf, Communication
Daniele Proch, Duke, Men's Soccer, History
Cameron Thatcher, Florida State, Men's Swimming and Diving, Real Estate
Avery Bartlett, Georgia Tech, Men's Cross-Country/Track & Field, Computational Media
Dejan Vasiljevic, Miami, Men's Basketball, Sports Administration
Taylor Koenen, North Carolina, Women's Basketball, Business Administration
Christopher Finke, Notre Dame, Football, Finance/Master of Science in Finance
Siyun Liu, Wake Forest University, Women's Golf, Finance
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, including the Jim Weaver Award, the Marie James Award and the Bob James Award.
ABOUT THE THACKER AWARD
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. Clemson's Alice Hewson, Virginia Tech's Taylor Emery, and Wake Forest's Mimi Smith are this year's Thacker Award winners.
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Stephanie Williams of women's volleyball and of Taylor Middleton of women's track & field will each receive the ACC's prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Award, as well as $6,000 toward 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 April 8. The luncheon will be hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Imperial Ballroom in Greensboro, N.C.
STEPHANIE WILLIAMS – VOLLEYBALL – EXERCISE SCIENCE
A three-time AVCA All-America honoree, Williams has etched her name several times in the Pitt volleyball record book, where she ranks in the program's all-time top 10 for career kills, attempts, service aces and digs. The Eastlake, Ohio, native is the first Panther to earn four consecutive All-ACC selections and is one of just three in program history to record more than 1,300 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. Her prolific career extends to the classroom, where she is a four-time member of the All-ACC Academic Team.
TAYLOR MIDDLETON – TRACK & FIELD – MARKETING
A two-time All-ACC performer in jumps (long and triple), Middleton has become one of the best jumpers in the conference as well as in Pitt history. Middleton currently holds the third best indoor long jump and seventh best indoor triple jump in program history. In outdoor, the senior sits in fourth place in the long jump and fifth place in the triple jump in program history. The Dayton, Ohio native has also participated in the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in each of her last two seasons for the Panthers. Middleton currently has the fifth best long jump in the ACC this season and with the ACC Indoor Championships quickly approaching she should be considered one of the favorites to place at the conference meet.
PITT'S ALL-TIME ACC POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES
- 2020 – Stephanie Williams (Volleyball), Taylor Middleton (Track & Field)
- 2019 - Kamalani Akeo (Volleyball), Olivia Gray (Softball) Brian Lovasik (Men's Swimming & Diving)
- 2018 - Andin Fosam (Women's Track & Field), Meme Sharp (Women's Swimming & Diving), Ryan Winslow (Football)
- 2017 - Kinga Cichowska (Women's Swimming & Diving), Dontez Ford (Football), Taylor Francis (Women's Soccer)
- 2016 - Lindsay Offutt (Gymnastics), Amanda Orchard (Volleyball), Artie Rowell (Football)
- 2015 - Brianna Kiesel (Women's Basketball), Tyler Wilps (Wrestling), Cameron Wright (Men's Basketball)
- 2014 - Ashley Corum (Women's Track & Field), Jocelyn Lu (Women's Tennis), Katie O'Rourke (Gymnastics)
The following student-athletes will be honored as 2020 ACC Postgraduate Scholars:
NAME, INSTITUTION, SPORT, MAJOR
Catherine Balido, Boston College, Women's Volleyball, Communication
Sean Burke, Boston College, Men's Cross-Country/Track & Field, Biochemistry
Brigid Wood, Boston College, Field hockey, Marketing and Operations Management
Aliute Udoka, Clemson, Rowing, Animal & Veterinary Sciences
Brittany Aveni, Duke, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Evolutionary Anthropology
Eoin Gronningsater, Duke, Men's Fencing, Political Science
Nathaniel Hernandez, Duke, Men's Swimming and Diving, Biology
Ayla Bonniwell, Florida State, Women's Swimming and Diving, Finance
Trent Forrest, Florida State, Men's Basketball, Sport Management
Shanice Love, Florida State, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Accounting
Ellen Flood, Georgia Tech, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Industrial Engineering
Andrew Li, Georgia Tech, Men's Tennis, Business with a Concentration in Accounting
Nami Otsuka, Georgia Tech, Women's Tennis, Biology
Carter Ayars, Louisville, Field hockey, Health and Human Performance in Exercise Science
Melanie McHenry, Louisville, Women's Volleyball, Early Elementary Education
Grace Oglesby, Louisville, Women's Swimming and Diving, Sport Administration
Dane Dunlap, Miami, Men's Tennis, Finance
Claire McGinnis, Miami, Women's Swimming and Diving, Accounting and Finance
Maria Estela Perez Somarriba Yravedra, Miami, Women's Tennis, Economics
*Mia Fradenburg, North Carolina, Women's Volleyball, Environmental Health
Katie Hoeg, North Carolina, Women's Lacrosse, Biology
McKinley McNeill, North Carolina, Women's Track & Field, Communications Studies
Kristina Schuster, NC State, Women's Soccer, Accounting
Andreas Vazaios, NC State, Men's Swimming and Diving, Psychology
Katie Marino, Notre Dame, Softball, Science-Business
*Zoe Spence, Notre Dame, Women's Tennis, Political Science & Film, Television and Theatre
Jemma Yeadon, Notre Dame, Women's Volleyball, Neuroscience and Behavior
Taylor Middleton, Pittsburgh, Women's Track & Field, Business Administration/Marketing
Stephanie Williams, Pittsburgh, Women's Volleyball, Exercise Science
*Ryan Guthrie, Syracuse, Football, Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Lila Nazarian, Syracuse, Women's Lacrosse, Citizen and Civic Engagement, Political Science
Miranda Ramirez, Syracuse, Women's Tennis, Accounting
Jordan Mack, Virginia, Football, Youth and Social Innovation
Zoe Morse, Virginia, Women's Soccer, Global Studies
Carl Söderlund, Virginia, Men's Tennis, Economics
Sarah Edwards, Virginia Tech, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Interior Design
Natalie Novotna, Virginia Tech, Women's Tennis, Biochemistry (BS), Chemistry (BA)
Jaylyn Thompson, Virginia Tech, Women's Soccer, Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise
Madison Hammond, Wake Forest, Women's Soccer, English
Alistair Johnston, Wake Forest, Men's Soccer, Economics
Elijah Shalaway, Wake Forest, Men's Cross-Country/Track & Field, English
*Thacker Award
HONORARY POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP NOMINEES
NAME, INSTITUTION, SPORT, MAJOR
Ana Paula Valdes, Clemson, Women's Golf, Communication
Daniele Proch, Duke, Men's Soccer, History
Cameron Thatcher, Florida State, Men's Swimming and Diving, Real Estate
Avery Bartlett, Georgia Tech, Men's Cross-Country/Track & Field, Computational Media
Dejan Vasiljevic, Miami, Men's Basketball, Sports Administration
Taylor Koenen, North Carolina, Women's Basketball, Business Administration
Christopher Finke, Notre Dame, Football, Finance/Master of Science in Finance
Siyun Liu, Wake Forest University, Women's Golf, Finance
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, including the Jim Weaver Award, the Marie James Award and the Bob James Award.
ABOUT THE THACKER AWARD
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. Clemson's Alice Hewson, Virginia Tech's Taylor Emery, and Wake Forest's Mimi Smith are this year's Thacker Award winners.
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