From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Recent Case Western Reserve University graduates Matthew Chen (Wynnewood, Pa. / Lower Merion) of the men's tennis team, Sarah Miller (Lorain, Ohio / Marion L. Steele) of the softball team, and Madeleine Paolucci (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. / Grosse Pointe South) of the women's tennis team were each selected as recipients of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Every year, the NCAA currently awards 126 postgraduate scholarships for $10,000, with 21 men and 21 women receiving the award each season (fall, winter, and spring). Student-athletes must have exhausted their athletic eligibility or not intend to use any remaining eligibility to be considered for the honor. Thirty-six Spartan student-athletes have now received the award throughout the scholarship's history, including 15 over the last six years. The four Spartan honorees during the 2020-21 academic year (Chen, Miller, Paolucci and former football player Patrick Crossey, who claimed the honor in the fall) are the most in a single year in the history of CWRU Athletics.
Chen brought home Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America honors for the second-straight season in 2021, earning the honor for his play in doubles during the campaign. He reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Doubles Championships with partner James Hopper during the campaign and ended the year as the third-ranked pairing in Division III with a 12-1 record together. Chen also received All-University Athletic Association recognition for his play at both singles and doubles for the third time over his career. He was the 25th-ranked singles player in the Central Region in 2021, going 7-3 in singles matches.
Chen ended his senior season with a 55-41 career singles record, tying him for the 10th-most wins in team history, while his 95-29 doubles record marked the second-most doubles victories in program history. He also helped lead the team to a runner-up finish at the 2021 NCAA Division III Championships, the best-ever finish by a team in the history of Spartan athletics.
Academically, Chen finished his Spartan career with a 3.92 cumulative grade point average as a Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism major. He is a three-time UAA All-Academic honoree and UAA Presidents Council Scholar-Athlete, and a four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete. Chen was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team in 2020, and is currently on the ballot for Academic All-America honors this year, after claiming a spot on the Academic All-District team.
Chen is the second CWRU men's tennis player to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, joining former Spartan C.J. Krimbill (2016).
Miller, a NFCA All-America First Team selection and All-University Athletic Association honoree, had a career year during her senior season as she led the team with 16 home runs, 38 RBI's and 61 runs scored. She also batted a team-best .422 (49-for-116) with 11 doubles, three triples and team-best 41 stolen bases. Earlier this year, Miller set the program's new single-season stolen bases record that was previously held by former Spartan Katie Wede who had 26 during the 2018 season In addition, her 16 home runs ranked third among all NCAA Division III softball players during the regular season.
For her career, Miller has hit .367 (115-for-313) with 75 RBI's, 29 doubles, 21 home runs and 10 triples. She has also totaled 66 stolen bases over her career, which currently ranks second in program history.
Academically, Miller is a UAA All-Academic honoree, and has recorded a 3.98 grade point average as a Biology and Environmental Studies major. She is currently a candidate for Academic All-America honors, after being named to the Academic All-District team earlier in the summer.
Miller becomes the second Spartan softball player to claim an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, along with Nicole Doyle, who received the award in 2019.
Paolucci became the program's only five-time All-American after claiming a first-round victory at the 2021 NCAA Singles Tournament. In 2019-20, Paolluci was named an ITA All-American after finishing in the final Top-20 poll during the pandemic shortened season. In 2018-19, she was named an All-American after pairing with former Spartan Jessica Liu to win the fall regional doubles championship and then advancing to the NCAA singles round of 16 in the spring. In 2017-18, Paolucci earned All-American honors after teaming with former Spartan Nithya Kanagasegar to advance to the doubles quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships.
Paoluccci, a four-time All-UAA honoree, was ranked 14th in the final ITA Division III poll in singles play and third in the Central Region. Playing at first singles throughout this past season, she went 5-2 during the campaign, and concluded her Spartan career with 48 singles victories which ranks sixth-best in the program's history.
Academically, Paolucci is a Nursing major at Case Western Reserve with a 3.90 cumulative grade point average. She has been named to the UAA All-Academic Team three times during her career. In addition, she was selected as a UAA Presidents' Council Scholar-Athlete in 2019, and is a candidate for Academic All-America honors in 2021 after being named to the Academic All-District team.
Paolucci joins former CWRU women's tennis player Nithya Kanagasegar as the only two recipients of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in the history of the program.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage graduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership are evaluated. An equitable approach is employed in reviewing an applicant's nomination form to provide all student-athlete nominees an opportunity to receive the graduate 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 graduate study.