The Atlantic 10 Conference announced Friday that it has awarded the A-10 Postgraduate Scholarships for 2022 to 14 outstanding A-10 student-athletes, including Mason women's lacrosse's Olivia O'Brien. The prestigious honor, which totals $70,000, is given to a graduating student-athlete from each of the league's 14 members.
O'Brien, a Communication major with a concentration in Journalism, has served as a major contributor throughout her five seasons with the George Mason women's lacrosse program. The Huntingtown, Md., native started every game of her final two seasons with the Patriots as her specialty in draw controls allowed the midfielder to play a niche role within the Mason attack, leading to her pacing the A-10 in the category during the 2022 campaign and finishing ranked within the Top 25 nationally as well. Further, O'Brien notched both the Mason single-season and single-game school records for draw controls. Academically, she earned recognition as a member of both the Commissioner's Honor Roll as well as the Dean's List. O'Brien will conclude her higher education pursuits at George Mason as she specializes in Strategic Communication with plans to coach at the collegiate level.
Since 2014, the A-10's Postgraduate Scholarship program has awarded $490,000 to 94 former student-athletes. Each of the 14 honorees receives $5,000 to contribute towards full-time enrollment in a postgraduate or professional program. Instituted to provide continuing education opportunities for graduating student-athletes, the program returns following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
"We are proud to return the A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship program and grant 14 awards to such a worthy, outstanding class of student-athletes," stated Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "These student-athletes have been exceptional in their sport, as leaders among their peers, and have demonstrated academic prowess throughout their careers. We are thankful to have been a part of their undergraduate success and excited to be able to assist with their postgraduate educational expenses."
The class represents eight different sports with an average GPA of 3.72. The selection process involves the league's athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives.
2022 Postgraduate Scholarship Honorees
| Name | School | Sport | Undergraduate Major |
| Hattie Rodriguez | Davidson | Women's Volleyball | Sociology |
| Colleen McDonnell | Dayton | Rowing | Biology |
| Hanna Everhart | Duquesne | Swimming & Diving | Physician Assistant Studies |
| Jenna Devine | Fordham | Women's Soccer | International Political Economy |
| Olivia O'Brien | George Mason | Women's Lacrosse | Communication |
| Paz Dozie-Nnamah | George Washington | Women's Volleyball | Psychological & Brain Sciences |
| Molly O'Brien | La Salle | Women's Soccer | Communication Sciences & Disorders and Psychology |
| Kira Kopec | Massachusetts | Women's Track & Field | Microbiology |
| Tinsley Copeland | Rhode Island | Rowing | Kinesiology |
| TJ Anderson | Richmond | Women's Soccer | Biology |
| Zanre Oberholzer | St. Bonaventure | Swimming & Diving | Health Science |
| Lindsey Smith | Saint Joseph's | Women's Lacrosse | Interdisciplinary Health Studies |
| Kristi Stevenson | Saint Louis | Softball | Finance & Accounting |
| Adrian Vagberg | VCU | Men's Golf | Physics |
To be considered for the Postgraduate Scholarship, student-athletes must have performed with distinction both in the classroom and in their respective sports throughout their career, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community. The postgraduate program expanded to four recipients in 1997 and then grew to 10 in 2014.
Original source can be found here.
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