INDIANAPOLIS—Barry University’s Grace Collins added another notch in her awards belt, picking up an NCAA Post-graduate Scholarship. In all, 29 male and 29 female spring sports student-athletes were selected with each receiving $7,500 to use toward the graduate school of their choice.
Collins, who became the first Buccaneer student-athlete to win Barry’s President’s Award as the top graduating senior, is also the Sunshine State Conference’s NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and a two-time Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin Community Service Award winner.
A four-year starter for the Buccaneer softball team, Collins was named an All-American each of the last two years. She closed out her career with a .363 average, 127 runs scored, 229 hits, 64 RBI and 77 stolen bases. She ranks in the Top-10 in 10 career records, including sacrifices (1st—46), hits (2nd), starts (T-4th—199), batting average (6th), runs scored (6th) and on-base percentage (8th— .410).
A dual major in philosophy and history as part of Barry’s honors program, Collins compiled a 3.871 GPA as she graduated in May. She plans to attend The Levin College of Law at University of Florida.
Similar awards were given to winter and fall student-athletes, totaling 174 individual winners. Collins is the sixth Buccaneer to earn an NCAA post-graduate scholarship (Bill Reifsnider, 1990; Cindy Yuan, 2000; Victoria Courmes, 2003; Patrick Rittenauer, 2008; Shyla Rider, 2009).
To qualify, student-athletes must excel academically and athletically, be in their final year of eligibility and plan to pursue graduate study. Student-athletes must also maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average and be nominated by their institution’s faculty athletics representative.
Created in 1964, NCAA postgraduate scholarships promote and encourage education by rewarding the Association’s most accomplished student-athletes.