Women's Soccer | May 21, 2015

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Recent graduate Maryam Huseini of the women's soccer team has received an Atlantic 10 Postgraduate Scholarship to pursue a Doctorate in Psychology at La Salle, the league office announced today. The program, which began honoring two student-athletes in 1991, has been so successful and well received by both the recipients and the A-10 member institutions that it has expanded several times. The most recent expansion, which was adopted in January of 2015, now includes one representative from each A-10 school, resulting in the record-breaking 14 honorees.

Huseini, an Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team member in 2014 and four-time Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient, was a University Dean's List student from 2011-2014. She set the program's single season record for assists (13) averaging .59 per game and was named First Team All-Conference as a midfielder. Huseini was a member of the A-10 First Team and A-10 Championship Team in 2014 and was an A-10 All-Conference First Team member in 2013 and an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and
All-Championship Team member in 2011.

She has volunteered at the Northwest Victim Service and Advocating for Victims of Crime. Huseini was a volunteer at Bucks County Juvenile Probation and completed 250 hours with the agency. She also finished 50 hours of faculty research assistance and volunteered for the Lasallian Day of Service, La Salle MLK Services, and La Salle Health Services.

Designed to provide graduating student-athletes the opportunity to continue their college education, the program now awards $70,000 in scholarship funding to former A-10 student-athletes, more than triple what the program previously granted. This year, all 14 honorees will receive $5,000 to contribute towards full-time enrollment in a graduate or professional program.
 
"These 14 outstanding student-athletes are well-deserving of one of the most prestigious awards in the Atlantic 10. They have been committed to being stellar academically and athletically, and I congratulate each of them and wish them luck as they pursue their advanced degrees," stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade. "I also commend our member institutions for their vision in expanding this worthwhile scholarship fund."
 
This year's recipients, which are listed below, represent 10 sports, including six team sports and five individual sports. The class is comprised of 11 female student-athletes and three males and the average GPA of the 14 individuals is 3.70. The selection process involved the league's athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives.
 
The expansion of the Postgraduate Scholarship Program reflects the broad-based commitment to student-athlete opportunities and academics by the Atlantic 10, which consistently ranks at the top amongst all Division I Conferences in both Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA. 
 
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. Last year, the Postgraduate program honored 10 individuals from seven institutions. The postgraduate program, which began in 1991 honoring one male and one female student-athlete, first expanded to four recipients in 1997 and then to 10 in 2014.