Record 11 Mountain Hawks named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A record 11 Lehigh student-athletes were recently recognized as recipients of the 2012 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award as named earlier this week by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Eight different Lehigh athletic programs are represented, including men's and women's cross country and track and field, men's and women's lacrosse, women's golf, women's swimming and diving, women's soccer and softball.

Lehigh's recipients of the award included Samantha Andersen (cross country/track and field), Jana Basubas (soccer), Hannah Cochran (soccer), Jen Colquhoun (softball), MaryLeah DiNisco (lacrosse), Ifeanyi Edochie (track and field), Julie Fernandez (softball), Gaige Flint (lacrosse), Jessica Long (softball), Ginette Schapira (golf) and Paola Simon (swimming).

Related Links

Diverse Issues In Higher Education

This marks the third straight year that Colquhoun has been recognized and the second straight year for Basubas, DiNisco, Edochie, Fernandez and Simon. Lehigh's 11 selections are the most in school history, besting the previous mark of nine set last year. It marks the fourth consecutive year that at least six Mountain Hawks have been recognized.

Seven of Lehigh's 11 honorees graduated in May, while three others recently completed their junior years. Long is the only rising junior among the group as she held a cumulative GPA of 3.20. She recently declared herself a Finance major.

Colquhoun and Fernandez were the only two Mountain Hawks to receive league recognition for on-field performance. Colquhoun was both the Patriot League Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year for softball in 2012 and went on to be named ECAC Player of the Year as well. She was also a first team Academic All-American, the first in Lehigh softball history. Colquhoun graduated with a 3.77 GPA in Biochemistry. Fernandez became a four-time first team All-Patriot League selection and is the league's career leader in hits and doubles. She was a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and graduated with a 3.33 GPA in Behavioral Neuroscience.

Basubas was a captain for the Lehigh women's soccer team and proved to be one of the team's most important players. She played a key role in the Mountain Hawks' 2010 Patriot League Championship campaign. Basubas graduated with a 3.43 GPA in Sociology and Social Psychology, while her women's soccer teammate Cochran played a key role on defense for the Mountain Hawks and graduated with a 3.26 GPA majoring in Design Arts.

Simon and Edochie were repeat winners of the award. Simon, one of the top sprinters on the women's swimming and diving team graduated with a 3.73 GPA in Finance, while Edochie was a sprinter for the men's track and field team and graduated with a 3.46 in Lehigh's IDEAS (Integrated Degree in Engineering and Arts and Sciences) program.

Gaige Flint provided senior leadership to the Mountain Hawks defense en route to one of the finest seasons in school history. Flint earned

his degree in History with a 3.34 GPA.

Schapira boasted the top GPA out of all of Lehigh's honorees. The two-year women's golf co-captain holds a 3.96 GPA in Finance as she heads into her senior season. Also returning for the Mountain Hawks, is Andersen who holds a 3.80 GPA in Art History for the cross country and track programs, and DiNisco who holds a 3.28 in Global Studies as a goaltender for the women's lacrosse team.

The Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award is given to student-athletes of color who exemplify high standards in academics, athletics, and service to the community. The winners must meet the following criteria: have completed one full academic year at their respective institutions, earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher, be an active member of an intercollegiate athletic team, and demonstrated a record of campus or community service.

Lehigh University Athletics

Record 11 Mountain Hawks named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars

Related Videos