March 6, 2007

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Four Terrapins were among 45 Atlantic Coast Conference scholar-athletes have been named recipients of postgraduate scholarships, as announced by Commissioner John D. Swofford. Maryland field hockey player Paula Infante, track and field athlete Kristina Keegan, and Adam Podlesh and Josh Wilson from the football team were among the recipients for the Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarships.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker scholarships are given to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate-level degree following graduation. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to use towards his or her graduate education. Student-athletes receiving the award have performed with distinction in both the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, nine student-athletes will receive Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Awards. These students will be recognized for their outstanding performance in both athletic competition and the classroom throughout their collegiate careers and intend to compete at the Olympic or professional level.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James as well as Gene Corrigan, all former ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954 to 1970 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.

Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.

Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.

Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were given as separate honors. The Jim Weaver award, originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.

The Thacker award, which originated in 2005, is awarded in honor of the late Jim and Pat Thacker of Charlotte, N.C. Jim Thacker was the primary play-by-play announcer for the ACC's first television network. Recipients of the award must demonstrate outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom and intend to further their education through post-graduate studies at an ACC institution.

The 45 student-athletes will be honored April 12, 2007, in Greensboro, N.C., at a luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club. The luncheon will be held at the Koury Convention Center.

Weaver-James-Corrigan Award Recipients are as follows: Boston College - Allison Amanda Anderson (volleyball), Robert G. Dittrich (baseball); Clemson - Sarah Irene Cefalu (swimming & diving), Brittany Gamble (rowing), J. Thomas Hunter (football); Duke - Leigh Turner Jester (lacrosse), Cara Lynn Lopresti (field hockey), Shannon Nicole Rowbury (cross country/track & field); Florida State - Sarah Reyne Griffin (volleyball), Alex W. Kennon (swimming), Kelly A. Rowland (soccer); Georgia Tech - Ofer Finkler (swimming & diving), Kristina Kaye Hull (softball), Alison Jo Silverio (tennis); Maryland - Paula Infante (field hockey), Kristina Keegan (track & field), Adam B. Podlesh (football); Miami - Heather Nicole Bounds (diving), Valerie Anne Webb (rowing), Karen Louise Wiley (rowing); North Carolina - Anna Victoria Evans (softball), Courtney Allison Krolokoski (fencing), Kathryn Louise Miller (golf); NC State - Shaina M. Ervin (softball), William Morgan Lee (football); Virginia - Ryan M. Burke (soccer), Andrew Spencer Dumm (cross country); Virginia Tech - Coleman Alexander Collins (basketball), Lindsay Parks Pieper (lacrosse), Mallory Jo Soldner (soccer); Wake Forest - Lauren Elizabeth Crandall (field hockey), Michelle Marie Sikes (cross country/track & field), Jamie Glynn Whitten (field hockey).

Jim and Pat Thacker Award Recipients are as follows: Boston College - Jennifer Elizabeth Maurer (soccer); NC State - Georgia Kay Davis (cross country); Virginia - Meredith Lee Lazarus (lacrosse).

Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award Recipients are as follows: Clemson - Rebecca B. Myer (soccer); Duke - Anna Grzebien (golf); Florida State - Thomas Lancashire (cross country/track & field); Georgia Tech - Roberto Mario Castro (golf); Maryland - Joshua Matthew Wilson (football); North Carolina - Heather Ann O'Reilly (soccer); NC State - Jemissa Leanne Hess (cross country/track & field); Virginia - Adam Whipp Cristman (soccer); Virginia Tech - Brandon Kyle Pace (football).

Biographical Sketches of Maryland Award Winners

Paula Infante, Field Hockey, Maryland
A two-time Honda Award winner, presented to the nation's top field hockey player ... Was a two-time womensfieldhockey.com National Player of the Year ... A four-time first team All-American, All-ACC pick and first team Mid-Atlantic Region selection ... Two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year ... A four-year starter that led the Terrapins to back-to-back NCAA Championship titles ... A four-time NCAA All-Tournament and All-ACC Tournament team selection ... Led Maryland to the 2005 ACC Championship crown ... Ranks tied for fifth all-time at Maryland with 58 career goals and seventh all-time with 139 career points ... Scored five goals for 10 points in a 2004 NCAA Tournament game, setting NCAA Tournament records for each.

Kristina Keegan, Track and Field, Maryland
Holds the sixth-fastest time in University of Maryland history outdoors in the 400-meter hurdles (1:01.80), set during the 2006 season ... Also ranks ninth on the all-time list outdoors in the 100-meter hurdles (14.88), set in 2004... Was a member of various relay teams for the Terrapins, including a 2004 relay squad that took third at the ACC Indoor Championships ... A member of the University of Maryland Student-Athlete Advisory Committee ... Was named to the University of Maryland Honor Roll.

Adam Podlesh, Football, Maryland
A four-year starter at punter and two-time Ray Guy Award semifinalist ... Is the only player in Terps history to be named All-ACC four times in his career ... Also earned honorable mention All-America honors as a senior ... A four-time Academic All-ACC selection ... Averaged between 42 and 44 yards per punt all four seasons ... Ranked among the top 25 nationally in punting average in each of his final three seasons ... Career average of 43.1 ranks second in school history and ninth in ACC records ... His 9,314 punting yards are also second in school history and ninth in the ACC ... All four of his season punting averages rank among the top 10 in school history.

Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award Recipients

Josh Wilson, Football, Maryland
A two-year starter at cornerback and four-year letter winner ... Played in 46 of 48 career games, including 28 starts ... Ended his career as one of the most complete cornerbacks in the conference, earning All-ACC honors and honorable mention All-America accolades in 2006 ... A two-time Academic All-ACC selection ... Tallied 157 career tackles, including 100 solo stops ... His 847 career kick return yards set a single-season record and rank ninth on the Terps career list ... an Iron Terp in 2005 ... The recipient of the James Tatum Award as the top football student-athlete in the conference.