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Four Duke Student-Athletes Earn Postgraduate Scholarships
2/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
DURHAM, N.C. - Four Blue Devils were awarded on Thursday with postgraduate scholarships in an announcement made by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Ludovic Walter, a senior men's tennis player from Vannes, France, was one of eight recipients of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. Brendan Dewan (football), Nicole Dudek (field hockey) and Katie Ness (swimming) were all among the 36 scholar-athletes awarded the Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker Scholarships.
Ludovic Walter, Duke, Men's Tennis
Two-time ITA All-America selection ... Named to the All-ACC team in each of his first three seasons ... Tied for second on Duke's all-time singles victories list with 112 singles wins ... Teamed with Jason Zimmermann to win 40 doubles matches, the third most by any duo in Duke's history ... Ranked as high as No. 2 in singles during his career ... Captured the ITA Mideast Regional Co-Championship in 2005 ... Named to ITA Collegiate All-Star team as a sophomore ... In his sophomore season, he won singles titles at the Adidas Collegiate Invitational and ITA Region II Indoor Championships.
Brendan Dewan, Duke, Football
Four-year starter at linebacker for the Duke football team ... finished career with 303 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 quarterback sacks and three interceptions ... two-time Academic All-ACC selection ... 2005 co-recipient of the ACC's Tatum Award, an honor presented annually to the top senior football-playing student-athlete in the league ... served as team captain during senior season ... named Duke's Co-Outstanding Linebacker in both 2004 and 2005.
Nicole Dudek, Duke, Field Hockey
Team captain and member of the U.S. Under-21 National Team ... finished third all-time at Duke for career goals and sixth on the career points list ... selected to the All-America third team in 2004 and moved up to the second team in 2005 ... member of the 2005 NCAA All-Tournament Team after guiding Duke to the national championship game ... two-time member of the All-South Region first team and All-ACC team ... South Senior All Star.
Katie Ness, Duke, Swimming
School record-holder in 11 events - 100 and 200 freestyle, 100 and 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 200 IM, 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays and 200 and 400 medley relays ... became Duke's first ACC Champion since 1981 when she won the 200 IM in 2004 ... competed at the 2004 NCAA Championships ... 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III ... three-time All-ACC selection.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker scholarships are given to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate-level degree following graduation. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to use towards his or her graduate education. Student-athletes receiving the award have performed with distinction in both the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, eight student-athletes will receive Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Awards. These students will be recognized for their outstanding performance in both athletic competition and the classroom throughout their collegiate careers and intend to compete at the Olympic or professional level.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James as well as Gene Corrigan, all former ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954 to 1970 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.
Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.
Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were given as separate honors. The Jim Weaver award, originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.
The Thacker award, which originated in 2005, is awarded in honor of the late Jim and Pat Thacker of Charlotte, N.C. Jim Thacker was the primary play-by-play announcer for the ACC's first television network. Recipients of the award must demonstrate outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom and intend to further their education through post-graduate studies at an ACC institution.
The 44 student-athletes will be honored April 13, 2006, in Greensboro, N.C., at a luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club. The luncheon will be held at the Koury Convention Center.
Players Mentioned
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