Atlantic 10 Release NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade announced Thursday the record 14 recipients of the annual A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship which includes Fordham senior rower
Nicole Arrato. This marks the first time in the 24-year history of the award that each institution has had a graduating student-athlete receive the prestigious award.
Arrato, who was just recently named Capital One Academic All-District 1, is a psychology major with a minor in Spanish who sports a 3.99 GPA. She is a four-year member of the women's rowing team, competing in the Rams' top boat all four years. She competed with the varsity 8 this season, being a part of the bronze medal winning boat at the 2015 Kerr Cup and in the third place shell of the petite final at the 2015 Dad Vails.
"This is another well-deserved award for Nicole," said head coach
Ted Bonanno. "She has been a mainstay with our top boat all four years and has done a great job representing Fordham, both in competitions and in the classroom."
Arrato was the recipient of the Kieran Award at the 2015 Block F Dinner which is presented to the Fordham College senior athlete who has made significant academic and athletic contributions. The award honors the memory of John Kieran, Fordham College Class of 1912, and a famous radio broadcaster, sports editor of the New York Times and a member of Baseball's Hall of Fame.
The A-10 Postgradaute Scholarship program, which began honoring two student-athletes in 1991, has been so successful and well received by both the recipients and the A-10 member institutions that it has expanded several times. The most recent expansion, which was adopted in January of 2015, now includes one representative from each A-10 school, resulting in the record-breaking 14 honorees.
"We've had the opportunity to grow the postgraduate program a significant amount as part of the A-10's commitment to providing strong academic support for our student-athletes. Granting 14 scholarships for graduate education speaks volumes about the Atlantic 10 membership and its dedication to our student-athletes," said George Washington Director of Athletics and Recreation Patrick Nero, who serves as Chair of the A-10 Athletic Directors.
Designed to provide graduating student-athletes the opportunity to continue their college education, the program now awards $70,000 in scholarship funding to former A-10 student-athletes, more than triple what the program previously granted. This year, all 14 honorees will receive $5,000 to contribute towards full-time enrollment in a graduate or professional program.
"These 14 outstanding student-athletes are well-deserving of one of the most prestigious awards in the Atlantic 10. They have been committed to being stellar academically and athletically, and I congratulate each of them and wish them luck as they pursue their advanced degrees," stated McGlade. "I also commend our member institutions for their vision in expanding this worthwhile scholarship fund."
This year's recipients, which are listed below, represent 10 sports, including six team sports and five individual sports. The class is comprised of 11 female student-athletes and three males and the average GPA of the 14 individuals is 3.70. The selection process involved the league's athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives.
The expansion of the Postgraduate Scholarship Program reflects the broad-based commitment to student-athlete opportunities and academics by the Atlantic 10, which consistently ranks at the top amongst all Division I Conferences in both Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA.
To be considered for the Postgraduate Scholarship, student-athletes must have performed with distinction both in the classroom and in their respective sports throughout their career, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community. Last year, the Postgraduate program honored 10 individuals from seven institutions. The postgraduate program, which began in 1991 honoring one male and one female student-athlete, first expanded to four recipients in 1997 and then to 10 in 2014.
