DAYTON, Ohio – University of Dayton student athletes Clara Ang, Patrice Lalor and Casey Nance have been named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars. Established in 1992 by the publication Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, the Sports Scholars Awards honor undergraduate minority student athletes who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.
The three Flyer student athletes are among the top sports scholars from around the country listed in the Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine April 29 issue.
The University of Dayton and University of Texas at Austin were the only teams in the nation to have two players named to the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Women’s Basketball Team. The Flyers were represented by Lalor and Nance.
Lalor and Nance, starters for the Flyers, led the team to their first ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship where UD advanced to the second round. Lalor, a junior point guard, holds a 3.6 cumulative GPA in electrical engineering. She led the Atlantic 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) and was second in the conference for assists per game (4.2). Nance, named to the 2009-10 Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team, was second in the conference in blocked shots (64).
The two were also honored, along with their teammates, as recipients of the 2010 Erin Ritchey Memorial Volunteer Service Award; recognized for their continued commitment and exceptional support to individuals with disabilities
Ang, a junior on the UD golf team, holds a 3.95 GPA in mechanical engineering. She averaged a team-best 80.9 strokes per round as a sophomore during the 2009-10 season.
Dayton was one of 10 schools in the country to have three athletes named to the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Women’s Teams. The others were: DePaul, Eastern Illinois, Florida, Lincoln, Missouri, Mount Olive, St. John’s, Valparaiso and Washington. Six universities had four student-athletes honored, Syracuse and Texas each had six, and Rice led the way with seven honorees.
A scholar and athlete, Ashe sought to expand opportunities for young people. In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community activism. To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2; and be active on their campuses or in their communities.
