Luke Kuechly to serve as keynote speaker at April 8 luncheon
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Friday a list of 50 student-athletes who have been selected as 2020 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients.
 
This year’s list includes three student-athletes who will also receive the Thacker Award and eight student-athletes who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports and were named honorary recipients.

The student-athletes will be honored at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Luncheon presented by ESPN on Wednesday, April 8. The luncheon will be hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club at the Sheraton Four Seasons Guilford Ballroom in Greensboro, North Carolina.
 
Boston College alumnus Luke Kuechly, who recently retired from the NFL following an All-Pro career with the Carolina Panthers, will serve as the keynote speaker.
 
A seven-time Pro Bowler, Kuechly finished with 1,092 tackles, which led the NFL from 2012-19. His 18 interceptions were the most by any linebacker over that stretch and rank third in franchise history. He owns three of the top five single-season tackle totals in team history and is the only player in franchise history to make more than 100 tackles in each of his first eight seasons as a Panther.
 
A native of Cincinnati, Kuechly earned both ACC Rookie of the Year (2009) and Defensive Player of the Year (2011) honors at Boston College. As a junior in 2011, he earned the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation's top defensive player, the Butkus Award as the nation's most outstanding linebacker and the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation's best lineman or linebacker. He was the first player to lead the ACC in tackles three times.

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 $6,000 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 April 8 luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Luncheon proceeds will go to the Greensboro Science Center, Greensboro Children’s Museum and Cone Health Center for Children. For information on sponsorships and tables, contact Tyler Key, TylerMKey@yahoo.com or 904-377-4357.
 
The following student-athlete will be recognized 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
Elijah Moskowitz, NC State, Men’s Cross Country, Biomanufacturing
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 Cross Country/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, Bob James, and 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.