NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Duquesne volleyball's
Hailey Poling (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) has been named as a 2023 Atlantic 10 Postgraduate Scholarship award recipient it was announced by the conference office this afternoon. The prestigious honor is given to a graduating student-athlete from each of the league's 15 members.
Over the last decade, the A-10's Postgraduate Scholarship program has awarded $565,000 to 109 former student-athletes. Each of this year's 15 honorees receives $5,000 to contribute towards full-time enrollment in a postgraduate or professional program. First instituted to provide continuing education opportunities for graduating student-athletes, the program awards $75,000 in scholarship funding to former A-10 student-athletes. This marks the seventh year the Atlantic 10 has provided the scholarships to individuals from each Atlantic 10 campus.
"This is an exceptional group of student-athletes, and they are deserving of this prestigious honor," stated Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "I commend our membership on their commitment to funding this impactful scholarship and their steadfast support of their student-athletes, athletically and academically. We are proud to assist these extraordinary young women and men in their pursuit of a postgraduate degree."
The class is comprised of 12 female and three male student-athletes, representing eight different sports with an average GPA of 3.81. The selection process involves the league's athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives.
Hailey Poling
DUQUESNE VOLLEYBALL
Poling, a physical therapy major from Uniontown, Ohio, led the Atlantic 10 in assists (989) for the second-straight year in earning Second Team All-Conference honors in 2022. A College Sports Communicators Academic All-District pick, Poling - a team captain - finished her career sixth on DU's all-time assists list with 2,811. A five-time Dean's List member, she has also been named to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll multiple times. Off the court, Poling has taken part in Project Hunger and Shepard Heart Meal for the Homeless functions in the Pittsburgh area. Back home, she has participated in Project Haiti, Five39 Church Cookies for Akron and NHS Pumpkin Run events. Hailey has been accepted into Bowling Green State University's Doctor of Physical Therapy program and looks forward to using her education to "being that light that can make someone's day just a little bit better."
2023 Atlantic 10 Postgraduate Scholarship Honorees
| School |
Name |
Sport |
| Davidson |
Rachel Horowitz |
Women's Track & Field |
| Dayton |
Jessica Sheldon |
Women's Soccer |
| DUQUESNE |
HAILEY POLING |
Women's Volleyball |
| Fordham |
Helen Connolly |
Women's Track & Field |
| George Mason |
Stephanie Der |
Women's Volleyball |
| George Washington |
Justin Grady |
Men's Soccer |
| La Salle |
Elizabeth Mancini |
Women's Cross Country |
| Loyola Chicago |
Kathleen Simms |
Women's Cross Country |
| Massachusetts |
Nathaniel Cardoza |
Men's Soccer |
| Rhode Island |
Trinity Smith |
Women's Track & Field |
| Richmond |
Claire O'Shaughnessy |
Women's Swimming |
| St. Bonaventure |
Amara Young |
Women's Tennis |
| Saint Joseph's |
Erica Behr |
Women's Soccer |
| Saint Louis |
Anna Walsh |
Women's Soccer |
| VCU |
Logan Amiss |
Baseball |
Over the last nine years, the average GPA of the honorees for the Postgraduate Scholarship Program has been 3.70 or higher. 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 and implemented that spring, now includes one representative from each A-10 school, which was expanded to include 15 members in 2022-23 following the addition of Loyola Chicago to the A-10.
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 Scholarship Program is part of the conference's broad-based commitment to student-athlete opportunities and academics. The conference consistently ranks at the top among all Division I Conferences in both Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA.
About the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 and consists of 15 diverse members across nine states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 22 nationally competitive championship sports. The basketball-centric conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for its student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The membership consists of Davidson College, the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, Loyola University Chicago, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information, visit www.atlantic10.com.
