Tricia McCutchan Awarded Prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
INDIANAPOLIS – Case Western Reserve University volleyball student-athlete Tricia McCutchan (Hamilton, Ohio/Stephen T. Badin) has been named one of just 29 fall female student-athletes from around the nation to be awarded a National Collegiate Athletic Association Postgraduate Scholarship.
A biomedical engineering major with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, McCutchan will graduate in May as the most accomplished player in CWRU Volleyball history. Upon graduation, she will attend medical school in the state of Ohio.
"I am incredibly honored to have been selected for this scholarship out of the many accomplished female student-athletes across the nation," said McCutchan. "I have worked very hard to balance academics, athletics and leadership positions as an undergraduate, and I am excited to be rewarded with a scholarship for those efforts. I have greatly valued my time as a student-athlete at Case, and my volleyball memories will stay with me forever."
A three-time Capital One Academic All-American®, McCutchan's senior season included a second career American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region nod and a first-team All-University Athletic Association selection. The senior led the UAA with 457 kills, while ranking second with 116 blocks and seventh with a .316 hitting percentage. She also posted 277 digs while playing in all 118 sets.
A four-time All-UAA selection and three-time Academic All-UAA performer, McCutchan finished her career with the CWRU records for kills (1,917), sets played (495) and blocks (489) in addition to earning UAA Athlete of the Week honors seven times.
McCutchan, a two-time Case School of Engineering Outstanding Student (2009-10 and 2010-11) and the University's Dorothy L. Hoza Award winner in 2011, also maintained heavy involvement on campus. Amongst her leadership positions, she has served as Undergraduate Chairperson for CWRU's Relay for Life.
Case Western Reserve University has a strong tradition of producing NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners, with eight recipients in the last six years. The program was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership, are evaluated. An equitable approach is employed in reviewing each applicant's nomination form to provide opportunity to all student-athlete nominees to receive the postgraduate award, regardless of sport, division, gender or race. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study in an accredited graduate degree program.