April 28, 2009
Senior Swimmer Rachel Regone was awarded with the NCAA Postgraduate scholarship for her efforts in the pool and in the classroom during her four years at Clemson. Regone, a Health Sciences major, will graduate in May with a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Regone was also a three-time ACC silver medalist in the 50 free as well as a two-time ACC champion and honorable-mention All-American as part of the 200 free relay. She also participated in the Olympic Trials in 2008.
Regone’s selection gives the swimming and diving team a recipient for the second consecutive year, as Matt Balderston was selected in 2008. However, she is only the eleventh student-athlete in Clemson history to receive the award. The first to receive it was football player Jimmy Bell, who was honored in 1964.
Regone, a native of Houston, TX, was one of only four ACC student-athletes to be recognized with the award for the winter sports. Ironically, Sara Smith of Virginia Tech was the only other swimmer from the ACC to receive the honor. Smith and Regone battled in the 50 freestyle, with Smith narrowly edging Regone at the ACC Championships each of the past three years. Regone and Smith have also combined to record the five fastest performances in ACC history in the 50 free.
The NCAA awarded educational grants to 58 student-athletes through the NCAA postgraduate scholarship program. The winners (29 men and 29 women) represent winter-sports participants who will receive one-time, nonrenewable grants of $7,500. The NCAA will name postgraduate scholars for spring sports later this year.
The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The Association awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship 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. For more information about the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, go to the Diversity and Inclusion link under the “About the NCAA” tab at www.ncaa.org.
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