Four Tar Heels Earn ACC Postgraduate Honors

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four North Carolina seniors are among 50 student-athletes from the Atlantic Coast Conference who have been selected as Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship and Award recipients for 2019-20. Tar Heels honored are Mia Fradenburg, Katie Hoeg, Taylor Koenen and McKinley McNeill.

Fradenburg, from Durham, played four years of volleyball for the Tar Heels before graduating in December. She majored in environmental health.

Hoeg, from Mattituck, N.Y., is a member of the women's lacrosse team and is majoring in biology.

Koenen, from Savage, Minn., is a member of the women's basketball team and is majoring in business administration.

McKinley, from Winston-Salem, competed in track & field for the Tar Heels and is majoring in communication studies.

Hoeg, Koenen and McKinley will graduate in May.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan 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.

This year's list includes three student-athletes who will also receive the Thacker Award and eight student-athletes – including Koenen – who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports and were named honorary recipients.

All 50 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, N.C.

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 following student-athletes will be honored as 2020 ACC Postgraduate Scholars:
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
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.

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Mia Fradenburg

Katie Hoeg

Taylor Koenen

Related Videos