• Emily Rademacher, Davidson (Women’s Lacrosse)
• Katherine Ollier, Dayton (Cross Country/Track & Field)
• Nicholas DiSomma, Duquesne (Men’s Soccer)
• Nicole Arrato, Fordham (Rowing)
• Danielle O’Brien, George Mason (Women’s Soccer)
• Victoria Valos, George Washington (Softball)
• Maryam Huseini, La Salle (Women’s Soccer)
• Rachel Hilliard, Massachusetts (Cross Country/Track & Field)
• Catherine Steffen, Rhode Island (Volleyball)
• Amber Young, Richmond (Track & Field)
• Aaron Leskow, Saint Joseph’s (Cross Country/Track & Field)
• Michael Scolarici, Saint Louis (Cross Country/Track & Field)
• Hannah Robinson, St. Bonaventure (Cross Country)
• Kiara Porter, VCU (Track & Field)

The expansion of the Postgraduate Scholarship Program reflects the broad-based commitment to student-athlete opportunities and academics by the Atlantic 10, which consistently ranks at the top amongst all Division I Conferences in both Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA. 

To be considered for the Postgraduate Scholarship, student-athletes must have performed with distinction both in the classroom and in their respective sports throughout their career, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community. Last year, the Postgraduate program honored 10 individuals from seven institutions. The postgraduate program, which began in 1991 honoring one male and one female student-athlete, first expanded to four recipients in 1997 and then to 10 in 2014.

2015 Postgraduate Scholarship Biographies

Emily Rademacher, Davidson
Women’s Lacrosse | Biology | Wellesley, Mass.
Rademacher, a three-time Academic Honor Roll and a Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient in the Atlantic 10, was a two-time First Team All-Conference member. She had a strong final season for Davidson, earning A-10 All-Second Team distinction and was honored with team’s Most Valuable Player Award. Rademacher was a two-time team captain and she ended her career second all-time in program history with 142 draw controls, hauling in 41 of them during her senior season and finished with 89 goals and 36 assists for 125 points. Rademacher was a member of Timmy Global Health, a nonprofit organization that works to expand access to healthcare in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Nigeria. She was a Connor House member and house manager and a 3L-Living Lives of Leadership student. She was a University of Massachusetts Medical School Lab Assistant and Boston Children’s Hospital Clinical Research Coordinator.
Postgraduate School: Undecided


Katherine Ollier, Dayton
Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field | Pre-Physical Therapy | Beavercreek, Ohio
A distance runner on both the Dayton cross country and track & field teams, Ollier was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week twice as a freshman in 2011 and finished in fourth place in the 3000 meters at the 2014 Atlantic 10 Indoor Championship with a 9:47.88. She served as team captain for both sports as a senior in 2014-15. Her academic profile includes seven semesters on the Dean’s List, an Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection each semester, and she was a nominee for the UD Presidential Outstanding Scholar-Athlete in 2015. She earned numerous scholarships, including the Virginia W. Kettering Scholarship in 2012, the Dayton AMBUCS Scholarship in 2013, and the annual UD Trustee’s Merit Scholarship each year. Ollier’s volunteer efforts included almost 175 hours of community service work, including working on the Frericks 5K committee and Christmas on Campus. She was a member of the Social Justice Club, and a Buddy Walk volunteer. She worked with Faith, Vocation and Leadership Special Interest Housing, was a teaching assistant in Adapted Physical Education, and was a member of the Pre-PT Club and the Mass Choir.
Postgraduate School: Dayton


Nicholas DiSomma, Duquesne
Men’s Soccer | Physical Therapy | Sparta, NJ
DiSomma, a three-time Director of Athletics Honor Roll and an Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient, was a University Dean’s List student in 2014. He was a team captain and played in all but 10 total minutes throughout the entire 2013 and 2014 seasons. DiSomma was an All-NPSL member (All-American for Semi-Professional Soccer League). He was one of five field players to see action in all 18 matches and was one of three players to start every match in 2013. DiSomma started 18 of a possible 19 contests on defense in 2012 and registered his first collegiate assist with a helper in a win over IPFW. He was credited with eight shot attempts including a season-high three vs. Delaware. He has volunteered at Drayer Physical Therapy, was a part of Southside Clean Up, volunteered at the Jubilee Soup Kitchen, and assisted at Fit Experience. DiSomma was a volunteer at Urban Pathways Charter Schools and at Western PA Soccer.
Postgraduate School: Duquesne


Nicole Arrato, Fordham
Women’s Rowing | Psychology | Oxford, Conn.
Arrato, a two-time Atlantic 10 Conference All-Academic team member and three-time Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient, was a University Dean’s List student from 2011-2015. She was ranked #1 in her class from 2012-2015. Arrato was a captain of the Rowing team and a member of Varsity 8 for her entire career, which is the equivalent of being a starter. She won gold medals at the Fall and Spring Metropolitan Championship from 2011-2015 and won the gold medal at the Head of the West Point 2014 and was a member of the Varsity 8+ that took the silver medal at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. Arrato worked for the Psychology Research Department in the Fordham Department of Psychology. She was on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. Arrato also volunteered at the Mary Mitchell Center, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and Murray-Weigel Hall.
Postgraduate School: Undecided


Danielle O’Brien, George Mason
Women’s Soccer | Accounting | Burke, Va.
O’Brien, an Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient in 2014, was a five-time University Dean’s List student. She served as a captain of the soccer team in 2014. She was a Student Athlete Mentor (SAM), President and Provost of the Student Advisory Committee from 2013-2014, and a George Mason Student Government Senator. O’Brien volunteered with the Girls’ Can Club from 2011-2014, FPYC Soccer Club in 2013, and the Mason Student Government from 2013-2014. She was a senior anchor of the Patriot defense and started 11 of 16 games this past season. O’Brien started in seven games in 2013 before sustaining a knee injury that sidelined her for the rest of the season. She started in 16 games and played in all 19 games in 2012. In her freshman season in 2011, she started in nine games and played in a total of 15 games.
Postgraduate School: George Mason

Victoria Valos, George Washington
Softball | Psychology | Bakersfield, Calif.
Valos, an Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team member in 2014 and Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient, was a four-time University Dean’s List student. She received NCAA recognition in 2014 when she was invited to the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. Valos started all 48 games in which she played at shortstop in 2014. She is GW’s all-time leader in career doubles, home runs, RBI, runs scored, extra-base hits, total bases, and at bats. Valos was the 2013 GW Female Athlete of the Year. She was a three-time team co-captain and a three-time team MVP. She has volunteered as a Relay for Life: Team Development Committee member in 2011 and a GW Grassroots Project Colonial Coach in 2015. Valos was a KEEN Coach (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) from 2013-2015. She was a team representative of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and an at-large representative on the Executive Board in 2014. Valos was an intern at Mobius Consulting in Spring 2015.
Postgraduate School: George Washington


Maryam Huseini, La Salle
Women’s Soccer | Psychology | Porsgrunn, Norway
Huseini, an Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team member in 2014 and four-time Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient, was a University Dean’s List student from 2011-2014. She set the program’s single season record for assists (13) averaging .59 per game. Huseini was named First Team All-Conference as a midfielder. Huseini was a member of the A-10 First Team and A-10 Championship Team in 2014. She was an A-10 All-Conference First Team member in 2013 and an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and All-Championship Team member in 2011. She has volunteered at the Northwest Victim Service and Advocating for Victims of Crime. Huseini was a volunteer at Bucks County Juvenile Probation and completed 250 hours with the agency. She also finished 50 hours of faculty research assistance and volunteered for the Lasallian Day of Service, La Salle MLK Services, and LaSalle Health Services.
Postgraduate School: La Salle (Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology)

Rachel Hilliard, Massachusetts
Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field | Biology | Hookstown, Pa.
Hilliard, a two-time A-10 Academic All-Conference recipient for cross country and track & field, was on the A-10 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll for all four years at UMass. She earned the Athletic Director’s 4.0 Award all four years and was a University Dean’s List student all 8 semesters. Hilliard was a member of Commonwealth Honors College all 4 years and was a two-time Commonwealth Honors College Research Fellowship Awardee. She took third in the women’s one mile run at the Atlantic 10 Championships with a time of 5-minutes, 0.27-seconds. Hilliard also competed in the distance medley relay that finished fourth overall in 11-minutes, 53.15-seconds and ran in the 3,000-meter run finishing in eighth place. She was a five-time UMass student-athlete of the week and UMass Fall student-athlete of the year for cross country in 2014. Hilliard also was a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Conference team for cross country and an A-10 athlete of the week in 2014. She has served as a member of the UMass Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and volunteers at local elementary schools. Hilliard volunteers over summer breaks at a therapeutic riding stable called Horses with Hope.
Postgraduate School: Cornell (College of Veterinary Medicine)


Catie Steffen, Rhode Island
Volleyball | Accounting | Mundelein, Ill.
Steffen, an A-10 All-Academic Team member in 2014, was a University Dean’s List student all 8 semesters. She was named to the A-10 All-Tournament team in 2013 and 2014 and was one of three senior captains in 2014. She was an A-10 All-Rookie Team member in 2011 and the A-10 Player of the Week in 2012. Steffen was one of two players to start every match of the season in 2012. She is ranked in the top ten in URI history for career total kills with 1,043. She has dedicated over 50 hours of time to Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, and various soup kitchens. Steffen was the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) treasurer and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma in 2014. She worked as a Financial Services Office intern at Ernst & Young in Chicago.
Postgraduate School: Northern Illinois

Amber Young, Richmond
Women’s Track & Field | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Orange Village, Ohio
Young, an A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient, was a three-time University Dean’s List student. She was a member of the Golden Key Honor Society and the Sigma Phi Pi Chemistry Honor Society. Young was a team record holder for the Indoor 4x400m and Outdoor 4x400m in 2013. She was a 400m hurdle record holder and a Sprint Medley record holder in 2013. She was also an Outdoor 4x200m record holder in 2014. In her senior year, Young placed third in the 400 hurdles at the Tribe Invitational and finished ninth in the 400 hurdles at the Fred Hardy Invitational. She earned seventh as part of the 4x100 relay team at the George Mason Invitational and achieved fifth in the 400 hurdles at the James Madison Invitational. Young finished third in a season-best 47.16 seconds as part of the 4x100 relay team at the A-10 Championships. She was a volunteer track coach at her old track club and was a MAPS (Minority Association of Pre-Med Students) secretary and charter member at Richmond. She was on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the 2013-2014 school year.
Postgraduate School: Cincinnati (College of Medicine)

Hannah Robinson, St. Bonaventure
Women’s Cross Country | Biology | Sayre, Pa.
Robinson, a three-time A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient, and seven-time University Dean’s List student, was a two-time captain of St. Bonaventure’s women’s cross country team. She finished 45th in the Atlantic 10 Championship (out of 126) and came in seventh in the Little Three Championship. This performance helped lead the way for St. Bonaventure’s first Little Three Invitational title in school history in 2013. Robinson has served as a pianist at the Sayre Area Agency on Aging, the Litchfield United Methodist Church, and the Roulette United Methodist Church. She is a member of SafeTEEN Coalition and volunteered at the Warming House student-run soup kitchen at St. Bonaventure University. She was a tutor at St. Bonaventure University for biochemistry and Spanish as well as a lab assistant/grader. Robinson was a research intern at the Donald Guthrie Foundation for Education and Research as well as a Physical therapy technician at ProCare Physical Therapy.
Postgraduate School: George Washington (School of Medicine and Health Sciences)


Aaron Leskow, Saint Joseph’s
Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field | Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Marketing | Toms River, N.J.
Leskow, an indoor track & field academic All-Conference selection in 2015 and A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient, was a University Dean’s List student in 2012. He was named to the Saint Joseph’s Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for Spring 2014 as well as the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Academic All-Area selection. He was the Atlantic 10 Championships Most Outstanding Track Performer and the A-10 Championships mile and 3000m champion in 2015. He was a two-time A-10 All-Conference First Team honoree and was voted team’s co-most Valuable Performer for the 2014-15 season. Leskow volunteered from 2010-2014 at the Ocean Running Club where he supported and mentored youth runners in the community. He also interned for a small pharmaceutical company specializing in rare endocrine diseases, specifically Cushing’s syndrome. Leskow was Saint Joseph’s Executive Vice President of Pharmaceutical Industry Leaders of Tomorrow Club.
Postgraduate School: Saint Joseph’s University (Master of Science in Business Intelligence)

Michael Scolarici, Saint Louis
Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field | Public Health | O’Fallon, Ill.
An eight-time All-Conference honoree, Scolarici earned the award three times in cross country, three times in indoor track & field and twice in outdoor track & field. A three-time Top 15 finisher at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country championships, he helped Saint Louis to its best-ever team finish at the A-10 title race in 2014. That same season he was named the A-10 Cross Country Performer of the Week for 2014. He also was a two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week in cross country as a freshman. A seven-time Dean’s List member at SLU, Scolarici was a Saint Louis Medical Scholar from 2011-15. A four-time honoree at the Billiken “Straight A” luncheon, he was named the top men’s academic performer for SLU athletics in 2015. Among his many volunteer activities are time spent with the Health Resource Center and Wellness Holistic Initiative and Students United for Africa, where he served as president of the executive board. He also participated in multiple research programs at Washington University in St. Louis. Scolarici was also an academic tutor in the Saint Louis athletic department and went on two Spring Break Immersion Mission Trips, one to West Virginia and the other a local trip into St. Louis.
Postgraduate School: Saint Louis School of Medicine (College of Public Health & Social)


Kiara Porter, VCU
Women’s Track & Field | Business/Finance | Yorktown, Va.
Porter, a three-time academic All-American, and four-time University Dean’s List student, was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (Fall 2011 – Spring 2015). She was captain of VCU’s Women’s Track and Field team (Fall 2013 – Spring 2015). Even with only one year in the Atlantic 10, Porter is a five-time A-10 champion with victories in the Indoor 400m, Outdoor 400m, Outdoor 200m, Outdoor 4x100 and Outdoor 4x400. She earned Honorable Mention All-American status in the 400-meters in 2013 and has twice earned NCAA Academic All-American status. She earned a Gold Medal as part of the 4x400 meter relay at the IAAF World Junior Championships and was a semifinalist in the 2013 US Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400m. This year, she’s currently ranked in the top-25 nationally in the 200m indoor, 300m indoor and 500m indoor. Porter has volunteered at J.A. Chalkley Elementary School and spent time with a 5th grade class helping them with multiplication and division.
Postgraduate School: Undecided