A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient Bios

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Atlantic 10 Conference announced Thursday the 14 recipients of the annual A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship. It is the second time in the 25-year history of the program that each institution has had a graduating student-athlete receive the prestigious award.

Representing Duquesne University is men's soccer player Colin Phillips. Phillips, a two-time Academic All-Conference selection, was an eight-time University Dean's List member and Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient. He was named Duquesne's male Student-Athlete of the Year in April. A 2015 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Biology and a BS in Health Sciences. The two-time A-10 Player of the Week in 2015 was voted First Team All-Conference. Phillips led his team in all offensive categories, including goals, assists and points. He ranked tied for first in the A-10 for goals and points, and tied for seventh in assists. Nationally, he ranked tied for seventh in Division I in both goals and points. A three-year team captain for the Dukes, Phillips was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition, he volunteered at the Pittsburgh South Side Spring Cleanup, Pittsburgh Jubilee Kitchen and Physical Therapy Aide. He will continue his schooling at Duquesne.

Designed to provide graduating student-athletes the opportunity to continue their college education, the program awards $70,000 in scholarship funding to former A-10 student-athletes. All 14 honorees will receive $5,000 to contribute towards full-time enrollment in a graduate or professional program.

"This is one of the most prestigious honors the A-10 bestows," stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. Providing this opportunity to student-athletes who are dedicated to their academic and athletic success is an important part of the Atlantic 10's commitment to our student-athletes. I congratulate each of these deserving individuals and wish them luck as they pursue their advanced degrees."

The selection process involved the league's athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives.

The Postgraduate Scholarship Program is part of the conference's broad-based commitment to student-athlete opportunities and academics. The conference 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. 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, 2015 and implemented that spring, now includes one representative from each A-10 school. 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, 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.