SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference today named its six postgraduate scholarship recipients for the 2007-08 academic year. The six student-athletes will be honored for their accomplishments at the Southern Conference awards dinner in Hilton Head, S.C. on May 28, 2008.
The six honorees include Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship presented by Seven Falls Golf and River Club recipient James Eason of The Citadel, Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship recipient Dianna Thomas of Appalachian State, David Knight Graduate Scholarship recipient Page Bridges of Furman, Sony Graduate Scholarship recipient Brenna Burns of Davidson and Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship recipients Joe Watson of Furman and Lauren Bosshardt of Wofford.
James Eason, The Citadel, Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship presented by Seven Falls Golf and River Club
The Citadel’s James Eason is the 2008 recipient of the Dave Hart graduate scholarship presented by Seven Falls Golf and River Club, named in honor of former SoCon commissioner Dave Hart, Sr. A member of the Bulldogs’ tennis team, Eason has earned Dean’s List and Athletic Directors Honor Roll distinction every semester at The Citadel while being honored as a three-time ITA Scholar Athlete. The Christchurch, New Zealand native is a biology major with a 3.695 grade point average, and he has recently volunteered in the trauma unit at the Medical University of South Carolina while also participating in the Win4Life Clinic, a program designed to teach the game of tennis to underprivileged children. Eason has been named to the SoCon’s all-conference tennis first team in each of his first three seasons of competition, earning the nod for doubles three times and for singles in 2006. Following graduation, Eason plans to pursue a career as a surgeon after completing medical school.
Dianna Thomas, Appalachian State, Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship presented by Camp Champs
A volleyball player from Mobile, Ala., Appalachian State’s Dianna Thomas has been awarded the Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship presented by Camp Champs, which is named for the first female faculty athletics representative in the Southern Conference. Thomas, a 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American second team selection, currently has a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in exercise science. She is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team selection and a Southern Conference Commissioner’s Medal recipient. On the court, Thomas was a standout as well, twice being named to the all-conference second team as well as being named to the 2006 Southern Conference all-tournament team. She is active on campus and in the local community, having volunteered for the Special Olympics and the Crossnore Home for Children while also serving as president of Appalachian’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board for two years. Thomas finished her career as ASU’s all-time kills leader with 1,476, and following graduation, she plans to attend medical school in order to become a physician.
Page Bridges, Furman, David Knight Graduate Scholarship presented by Camp Champs
Page Bridges, a cross country and track and field performer from Greenville, S.C., will receive the David Knight Graduate Scholarship presented by Camp Champs, given in honor of the late Dr. David Knight, long-time faculty athletics representative at UNC Greensboro. Bridges is a chemistry major with a 3.978 grade point average. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Bridges also served as the service chair of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical Honor Society and has been included in the Furman Dean’s List each year from 2004-08. Bridges has made significant achievements as a runner in addition to her academic exploits, highlighted by setting the school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase during the 2007 track season. She plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. degree in medical school at the University of North Carolina, giving her the ability to continue with medical research and lab experiments while also working as a physician.
Brenna Burns, Davidson, Sony Graduate Scholarship
A track and cross country runner from Weaverville, N.C., Davidson’s Brenna Burns has been honored as the recipient of the Sony Graduate Scholarship from the Sony Corporation. Hailing from Weaverville, N.C., Burns has established herself as a success both in the classroom and in the realm of athletics. She is a psychology major with a 3.985 grade point average, as well as a Phi Beta Kappa honoree and an active member of the Psi Chi national honor society in psychology. In 2007, Burns was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country third team in addition to her first team all-district selection. A stellar runner, she is a member of the Southern Conference’s 25th Anniversary teams in cross country and indoor track & field, and Burns was selected as the 2007 SoCon Indoor Track Performer of the Year. In the community, Burns has volunteered her time helping children with autism, fueling a passion which she hopes to continue working with as she pursues a Ph.D. in applied developmental psychology and a future career related to bettering the lives of autistic children.
Joe Watson, Furman, Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship
Furman football player Joe Watson is one of two recipients of the Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship. Watson, a wide receiver with the Paladins’ football program, is a native of Greeneville, Tenn., who accumulated a 3.92 grade point average while majoring in political science. A recent inductee into Phi Beta Kappa and a Summa Cum Laude graduate, Watson has volunteered with the Meyer Center for Special Children and the Clubhouse Kids after school program for at-risk youth. Watson was a four-year letterwinner in football while also earning academic all-conference honors in each of his four seasons. Following graduation, Watson plans to attend law school at the University of Tennessee and pursue a career as a public defender.
Lauren Bosshardt, Wofford, Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship
Lauren Bosshardt, an accomplished cross country and track and field performer from Wofford, will also receive the Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship. Bosshardt has majored in biology with a minor in neuroscience, compiling a 3.98 grade point average. The Greenville, S.C., native received Dean’s List recognition at Wofford all four years in addition to inclusion on the Southern Conference all-academic team. As a competitor, Bosshardt has broken eight school records in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track and was also cited as a SoCon Runner of the Week on Oct. 11, 2006. She has been actively involved in the community with the Second Presbyterian Church soup kitchen and the Civitan Club. Bosshardt plans to use her scholarship to attend medical school with the goal of becoming a physician.
Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship presented by Seven Falls Golf and River Club: James Eason, The Citadel
Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship: Dianna Thomas, Appalachian State
David Knight Graduate Scholarship: Page Bridge, Furman
Sony Graduate Scholarship: Brenna Burns, Davidson
Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship: Joe Watson, Furman; Lauren Bosshardt, Wofford