Ciardelli, Westby & Dry Win NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships
Emory University swimmers Lillian Ciardelli and
Ruth Westby, and hurdler Steve
Dry were awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate
Scholarship based on their athletic and academic accomplishments,
in addition to their work in the community, during their time as
Eagles.
As a result, the three will be awarded a $7,500 scholarship, to be
used for postgraduate study.
During her senior year, Ciardelli was a five-time NCAA All-American
and a two-time national champion in the 200 and 400 freestyle
relays with the 200 team establishing a NCAA Division III record
and the 400 title the first in program history. Her performance at
the championships helped the Eagles to the program’s third
national crown in school history. Over her career, she has
totaled 15 total All-America honors and three NCAA Championship
titles, in addition to holding Emory varsity records in the 100
Fly, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay and 400
Medley Relay. Ciardelli is a psychology major at Emory with a
cumulative GPA of 3.78.
Westby has recorded a school-record five National Championships,
including two this past season, in addition to 27 all-America
honors, just one short of the maximum possible over a career.
This season, Westby earned seven all-America certificates, helping
the team to its third National Championship. She is the
school-record holder in seven different events, and is the only
swimmer in Emory history to earn all-America honors in the same
three individual events (50, free, 100 free and 200 free) all four
years of her career. Westby was named the 2008 and 2010 UAA
Swimmer of the Year and was chosen as the UAA Swimmer of the Week
on 11 occasions during her Emory tenure. She is a double
major in Environmental Science and Political Science with a 3.77
cumulative GPA
Dry is a four-time All-UAA honoree and has provisionally qualified
for the National Championship in the 55 meter hurdles during the
indoor season. He played a key role in helping the team to the 2009
UAA Indoor Championship, and has been selected as an Academic
All-American. Academically, he has been named to the
Dean’s List every semester, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
as a junior and is a member of Theta Alpha Kappa. In
addition, he received the Dean’s Achievement Scholarship for
undergraduate study at Emory, and was the recipient of the
university’s prestigious Bobby Jones Scholarship, just one of
four seniors chosen from a graduating class of over one
thousand. He has maintained a 3.99 GPA while majoring in
chemistry and religion.
Emory has now been awarded 67 postgraduate scholarships over the
school's history, and 50 since 2000, more than any other NCAA
institution except Stanford University, which has 53. Emory's
swimming and diving team has seen 23 of its members win the
scholarship over the past eight years, including 10 winners over
the last four years.
Dry’s honor is the first by a member of the Emory men’s
indoor track and field team since former Eagle Chris Nehls won the
scholarship in 2004. He also joins former Eagle Richard Hite
(2003) as the third winner from the program overall.
This season's NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients (29 men and
29 women) represent winter-sports participants from all NCAA
divisions, who will receive one-time, nonrenewable grants of
$7,500.
The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel
academically and athletically and who are in their final year of
intercollegiate athletics competition. The Association awards up to
174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for
women.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote
and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's
most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in
NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. For more information
about the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, go to the Diversity and
Inclusion link under the ‘About the NCAA' tab at www.ncaa.org.
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