The Atlantic Coast Conference announced this week a list of 52 student-athletes who have been selected as 2018 Weaver-James-Corrigan Award recipients. This year’s list includes three student-athletes who will receive the Thacker Award and nine 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 April 11. The luncheon will be hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Imperial Ballroom in Greensboro.
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.
In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, nine student-athletes will receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. They include Clemson’s Oliver Shannon (men’s soccer), Duke’s Leona Maguire (women’s golf), Florida State’s Natalie Pierce (women’s swimming and diving), Georgia Tech’s Kel Johnson (baseball), NC State’s Peter Renda (wrestling), Louisville’s Inger Katrine Bjerke (women’s soccer), North Carolina’s Ben Griffin (men’s golf), Notre Dame’s John Sexton (men’s lacrosse) and Wake Forest’s Cam Serigne (football).
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. The Jim Weaver Award, which originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James Award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.
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. Boston College’s Jacqueline McDonnell, Notre Dame’s Douglas Martini and Virginia’s Veronica Latsko are this year’s Thacker Award winners.
The following student-athletes will be honored as 2018 ACC Postgraduate Scholars:
Daniel Creighton, Boston College, Men’s Swimming and Diving
Jacqueline McDonnell*, Boston College, Rowing
Daniela Ruiz Alvarez, Clemson, Women’s Tennis
Marisa Messana, Clemson, Women’s Golf
Grace Barnett, Clemson, Women’s Cross Country /Track
Madison Heath, Duke, Women’s Cross Country /Track
Schuyler DeBree, Duke, Women’s Soccer
Gabe Brandner, Duke, Football
Vanessa Freire, Florida State, Women’s Beach Volleyball
Morgan Klaevemann, Florida State, Softball
Dylan Grisell, Florida State, Men’s Swimming and Diving
Angelica Henderson, Georgia Tech, Women’s Cross Country /Track
Alex Grady, Georgia Tech, Men’s Cross Country /Track
Michael Kay, Georgia Tech, Men’s Tennis
Gabrielle Wiley, Louisville, Women’s Volleyball
Nicole Woods, Louisville, Field Hockey
Kristi Harrison, Louisville, Rowing
Wallace Layland, Miami, Women’s Swimming and Diving
Sinead Lohan, Miami, Women’s Tennis
Veronica Johnson, Miami, Women’s Soccer
David October, North Carolina, Men’s Soccer
Emily Godwin, North Carolina, Women’s Track & Field
Morgan Lane, North Carolina, Women’s Gymnastics
Kaitlyn Kearney, NC State, Women’s Volleyball
Erika Kemp, NC State, Women’s Cross Country/Track
Soren Dahl, NC State, Men’s Swimming and Diving
Monica Flores, Notre Dame, Women’s Soccer
Katherine Uhler, Notre Dame, Women’s Soccer
Douglas Martini*, Notre Dame, Football
Ryan Winslow, Pittsburgh, Football
Andin Fosam, Pittsburgh, Women’s Cross County/Track
Meme Sharp, Pittsburgh, Women’s Swimming and Diving
Laura Hurff, Syracuse, Field Hockey
Stephanie Grossi, Syracuse, Women’s Ice Hockey
Patrick Castle, Syracuse, Men’s Soccer
Holly Sullivan, Virginia, Women’s Cross Country/Track
Corey Johnson, Virginia, Women’s Swimming and Diving
Veronica Latsko*, Virginia, Women’s Soccer
Vincent Ciattei, Virginia Tech, Men’s Cross Country/Track
Alani Johnson, Virginia Tech, Women’s Soccer
Christian Seraphim, Wake Forest, Men’s Tennis
Kevin Politz, Wake Forest, Men’s Soccer
Maddie Huster, Wake Forest, Women’s Soccer
Honorary Postgraduate Scholarship Nominees
Oliver Shannon, Clemson, Men’s Soccer
Leona Maguire, Duke, Women’s Golf
Natalie Pierce, Florida State, Women’s Swimming and Diving
Kel Johnson, Georgia Tech, Baseball
Inger Katrine Bjerke, Louisville, Women’s Soccer
Ben Griffin, North Carolina, Men’s Golf
Peter Renda, NC State, Wrestling
John Sexton, Notre Dame, Men’s Lacrosse
Cam Serigne, Wake Forest, Football
*-Thacker Award recipient
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Chris Graham
