In recognition of his efforts in and out of the pool, 马特·纳德尔，15岁 recently was named a recipient of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, which is awarded to a select group of student-athletes who excel academically and athletically. 全国所有的NCAA分部, only 29 scholarships are awarded for both men and women from each sports season (fall, 冬天, 和春天).
纳达尔, a Division III honorable mention All-America selection and Scholar All-American, founded the Little Cats swimming program at CC in 2013 that still exists today. The program partners with 科罗拉多州 Springs after-school community programs to provide water safety lessons to at-risk youth.
纳德尔以3分的成绩毕业.85 grade-point average and a bachelor's degree in economics. 在泳池里, he was an honorable mention All-America selection as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that set a school record and placed 12th at the 2012 NCAA Division III Championships. He holds the school record for the 1000 and 1650 freestyle events and earned 11 all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference honors, including the 1650 freestyle title as a senior.
Candidates for the postgraduate scholarship are nominated by the school's faculty athletics representative and screened by regional selection committees. Recipients then are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.
才有资格得到10美元,000年奖学金, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.20(在4上).00 scale) and have been a member of a varsity team. Recipients also must intend to continue academic work beyond the bachelor's degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.
“在CC的那些年里, Matt was the type of student any institution would be honored to have,佩德罗·德·阿劳霍说, CC的教员体育代表. "He understood very well how academics and athletics complement each other, and used this relationship to succeed in both the classroom and the pool. He is a natural born leader that will continue to leave his mark anywhere he lands. When he approached me about the NCAA postgraduate scholarship, it was a no brainer sending his nomination in. 我们都为马特感到骄傲."
"Matt is one of the most outstanding students and athletes that I have worked with during my career," 科罗拉多大学 swimming coach Anne Goodman James says. "He is a change agent, and his leadership truly makes a difference to those around him. 马特很体贴, 超前思维, 和包容的, which makes everyone around him better, and helps them enjoy the experience more.
Following his graduation from 科罗拉多大学, 纳达尔 was an analyst for DaVita VillageHealth, chief strategy officer for Kadi Energy, and helped open a high-tech swim school prior to beginning law school at the University of 科罗拉多州 in Boulder last August. He has continued his position as an Elite Coach at SwimLabs Swim School in Littleton, 科罗拉多州, throughout his first year of law school.
“我的队友, 教练, 教授, and mentors were the real leaders that enabled me to be successful,纳德尔说。. "I specifically remember the first time I pitched the half-baked idea of Little Cats Swimming to Coach James. It had a larger goal with no operational specifics, which probably terrified her. 然而,, she gave me unconditional support and guidance on how to make a successful program that delivered my mission, it truly couldn't have happened without her."
"My thesis advisor, Mark Smith, is my academic role model," 纳达尔 says. "His ability to stimulate intellectual curiosity and make me challenge my own beliefs is uncanny. I certainly wouldn't have been interested in water quality or international environmental protection without his guidance. His continued support, from encouragement to professional networking, has been a game-changer.
"Most importantly, I couldn't have been successful without my teammates. The CC swim team has a positive and uplifting culture that made it possible to push myself to the physical and mental limits each day. To this day, some of my closest friends were fellow Tigers."
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.