FAIRFAX, Va. -- Sixteen student-athletes from Washington State University were selected as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars for 2018. The names and photographs of all this year's Sports Scholars are included in the April 5 issue of Diversity Issues in Higher Education magazine.
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Beginning in 1992, the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe Jr.'s commitment to education and his love for the game of tennis, U.S. colleges and universities are invited to participate in this annual awards program by nominating their outstanding young men and women student-athletes. The selection criteria for the annual Sports Scholars teams is: must be a student of color, be an active member on an intercollegiate sports team, maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2, and have a demonstrated record of service to the campus or in the community.
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One male and one female student-athlete are selected as the national Sports Scholars after the overall nominations are narrowed down to 20 semifinalists per gender and then three finalists per gender. WSU junior
Ray Littles, a track and field competitor, was one of the 2018 semifinalists. The honors are divided into first team, second team, third team, fourth team, and honorable mention selections by sport and by gender.
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The 2018 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sport Scholar Award winners from WSU are listed below. The complete list of this year's Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars can be viewed at http://diverseeducation.com/.
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Washington State University's 2018 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars
First Team
Name                          Sport                   GPA     Year    Major              Hometown
Katherine Dittmann    Track & Field       4.00      Jr.       Psychology        Snohomish, Wash.
Ciera Kelly                  Swimming      4.00      Jr.       Pre-Dentistry        Juneau, Alaska
Ray Littles                  Track & Field       3.82      Jr.       Sports Science      Issaquah, Wash.
Jasmine Margetts      Swimming       3.68      Jr.       Environ. Science     Torrance, Calif.
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Second Team
Name                          Sport                   GPA     Year    Major              Hometown
Elyse Bennett              Soccer                 3.76      So.      Biology           De Pere, Wis.
Malachi Flynn             Basketball       3.48    So.      Undecided         Tacoma, Wash.
Jake Nienhuis             Track & Field       3.40      Jr.       Education          Issaquah, Wash.
Breya Wynne              Track & Field       3.68      Rs-So. Business Mrkt.     Compton, Calif.
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Third Team
Name                          Sport                   GPA     Year    Major             Hometown
Brandon Arconado     Football               3.25      Sr.      Business           Chino Hills, Calif.
Anthony Castillo         Football               3.25      Sr.      Management        Kent, Wash.
Ja'Maun Charles        Track & Field       3.22      Jr.       Mgmt. Info. Systems  Pleasanton, Calif.
Alexis Dirige               Volleyball            3.27      So.      Psychology         San Francisco.
Jordyn Tucker            Track & Field       3.57      So.      Biomedical Eng.     Monrovia, Calif.
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Fourth Team
Name                          Sport                   GPA     Year    Major             Hometown
Maddy Haro         Soccer                 3.91      Jr.       Communication     Corona, Calif.
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Honorable Mention
Name                          Sport                   GPA     Year    Major             Hometown
Adreonia Bradley        Track & Field       3.57      Rs-Jr.  Business          Tacoma, Wash.
Kelsee Crenshaw        Soccer         3.65      Sr.      Apparel & Merch.    Marysville, Wash.
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