Each recipient will receive $5,000 to contribute to their graduate education.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade announced today the recipients of the A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship. This year’s recipients include Saint Louis’ Hailee Elmore, Xavier’s Thomas Kauffman, Dayton’s Rebecca Novacek and Duquesne’s Samantha Pollino.
Each recipient will receive $5,000 to contribute to their graduate education. All four student-athletes have performed with distinction both in the classroom and in their respective sports throughout their career, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
Elmore, the two-time A-10 Women’s Tennis Most Outstanding Performer of the Year, registered an impressive 22-6 overall record at No. 1 singles, including a 13-4 mark in dual matches following the 2011 season. The Springfield, Ill., native led the Billikens to the program’s first appearance in the A-10 Championship finals, which included wins over La Salle, Duquesne and Temple. During her final season at Saint Louis, Elmore became the institution’s all-time career wins leader in singles (93) and doubles (74), while becoming the first women’s tennis player at Saint Louis to earn a national ranking. The three-time, first-team All-Conference award recipient was also a member of the league’s Academic All-Conference team on three separate occasions and owns a 3.93 cumulative grade point average as a Communication Sciences and Disorders major.
A member of the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll all four years at Saint Louis, Elmore capped off her senior season being named the league’s Student-Athlete of the Year. She was also honored on the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District VII team three years in a row including earning first team honors in back-to-back seasons in 2010 and 2011. Elmore represented the Billikens as the SAAC Tennis Representative from 2008-2010 coordinating with other student-athletes on campus to promote support within the athletic community and create opportunities to volunteer within the community. Along with serving as a tennis instructor, Elmore is an active member of the Saint Louis University National Institution of Speech, Language, and Hearing Association. She was also named SLU’s 2011 Outstanding Female Senior Student-Athlete.
Kauffmann boasts a 3.71 GPA while majoring in history with a minor in international studies at Xavier University. The distance runner finished in the top 15 at the A-10 Cross Country Championship during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons garnering All-Conference recognition in each of those three years. He claimed his best finish of fifth place at the 2010 Championships at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kauffmann is a two-time All-Conference honoree in indoor track and field after winning the 3000-meter run at the 2010 A-10 Indoor Track & Field Championships and placing second in the 5,000-meter run. He added his third all-conference honor during the 2011 A-10 Outdoor Track & Field season finishing first in the 10,000-meter run at the league championship in Charlotte, N.C. He also represented Xavier at the 2009 & 2010 Cross Country Regionals crossing the finish line in 14th place in 2009 to earn a spot on the All-Great Lakes Region team. Most recently, Kauffmann competed at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Region Championships placing 29th in the 10K. He also qualified for the NCAA Regional meet in the same event as a junior in 2010.
A three-time honoree on the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Kauffmann was named to the Dean’s List six times at Xavier while he was named the school’s 2011 Male Student-Athlete of the Year. The Cincinnati, Ohio native is also a five-time A-10 Academic All-Conference honoree – three times for indoor track and field and twice for outdoor track and field. Kauffman was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council for two years at Xavier, while serving as an opinion columnist for The Newswire, the student-run campus newspaper.
Novacek is a two-time, first-team Atlantic 10 All-Conference honoree in leading the University of Dayton to the league championship in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The middle blocker guided the Flyers to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years at Dayton advancing to the Second Round in three of those four years (2007, 2009, 2010). She was nominated for the Volleyball Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team and received AVCA Division I All-Region Honorable Mention accolades all during her senior campaign in 2010. Novacek finished her senior season ranked in the top 50 nationally in blocks per set, while ranking in the top 100 nationally for hitting percentage in 2009 and 2010. She would finish her Flyer career with a .310 hitting percentage and 300 total blocks.
In the classroom, Novacek has accumulated an overall grade point average of 3.863 while double majoring in accounting and finance. The Aliquippa, Pa., native is an eight-time member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She was named the A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year in 2010, while earning a spot on the A-10 Academic All-Conference Team and District IV Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Novacek also was honored with the Team Academic Award by the AVCA in 2007, 2008 and 2009. A member of Beta Alpha Psi and Beta Gamma Sigma, Novacek has performed over 75 hours of community service during her tenure at Dayton.
A four-year starter and two-year captain for the Duquesne women’s basketball team, Pollino averaged over 27 minutes on the hardwood in 125 starts for the Dukes. She was part of the all-time winningest class in program history leading Duquesne to the programs first, second and third WNIT appearances over the last three years. Pollino finished her career as the fourth leading scorer in program history totaling 1,437 points, while averaging over 5.0 rebounds a season. She earned Second Team All-Conference accolades as a junior and senior and was named A-10 Player of the Week on three separate occasions during her career. Pollino also led the Dukes to the A-10 Tournament in each of her four seasons.
Pollino earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and Health Sciences and is currently enrolled in Duquesne’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program where she has completed 43 of 94 graduate credits in the program. The Johnstown, Pa., native is a two-time Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team honoree and an eight-time member of the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. A Dean’s List student, Pollino was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District II Team in 2011. Serving as an active member in the community in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, she has also accumulated 150 hours of volunteer work at the Phoenix Rehabilitation Center in Johnstown, Pa., working with a physical therapist.
The Atlantic 10 Conference annually honors student-athletes who excel in academics and athletics and are involved in extra-curricular activities. The recipients of the A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship are required to use their scholarship toward postgraduate education expenses.
About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976 and celebrates its 35th anniversary as a Division I Conference in 2010-11. Currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsoring 21 championship sports, the mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph’s University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.
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