WASHINGTON -- The Atlantic 10 Conference announced the 2026 winners of the league’s prestigious Postgraduate Scholarship Thursday. The honor is granted to a graduating student-athlete from each of the league’s 14 members to provide financial benefits for advanced academic degrees.
The class is comprised of six female and eight male student-athletes representing seven different sports with an average GPA of 3.816, equaling the best average since the program expanded to 14 recipients. The selection process involves the league’s athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives.
“I would like to congratulate our outstanding group of student-athletes. Each recipient of our Postgraduate Scholarship has demonstrated excellence both in competition and in the classroom. As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting student-athletes, the Atlantic 10 is proud to assist with their postgraduate studies. We look forward to following the future successes of these 14 deserving honorees,” said A-10 Commissioner Dan Leibovitz.
Over the last decade, the A-10’s Postgraduate Scholarship program has awarded $612,000 to 128 former student-athletes. Each of this year’s 14 honorees receives funds to contribute toward full-time enrollment in a postgraduate or professional program. First instituted to provide continuing education opportunities for graduating student-athletes, the program currently awards $42,000 in scholarship funding to former A-10 student-athletes. This marks the 10th year the Atlantic 10 has provided scholarships to individuals from each Atlantic 10 campus.
Over the last 11 years, the average GPA of the honorees for the Postgraduate Scholarship Program has been 3.70 or higher. The program, which began honoring two student-athletes in 1991, has been so successful and well received by both the recipients and the A-10 member institutions that it has expanded several times and now includes one representative from each A-10 school.
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 careers while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
The Postgraduate Scholarship Program is part of the Atlantic 10’s broad-based commitment to student-athlete opportunities and academics. The Postgraduate Scholarship is one of three major academic recognitions the league provides, along with the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and sport-based All-Academic Teams. The conference consistently ranks at the top among all Division I conferences in both Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA.
2026 Postgraduate Scholarship Honorees
| SCHOOL |
NAME |
SPORT |
MAJOR |
| Davidson |
Dylan Felt |
Men’s Swimming & Diving |
Biology |
| Dayton |
Katherine Blandford |
Rowing |
Health Science with a concentration in Exercise and Movement Science |
| Duquesne |
Mackenzie Muir |
Women’s Soccer |
Health Sciences |
| Fordham |
Zoe Talabong |
Volleyball |
General Science |
| George Mason |
Ainsley Toews |
Women’s Swimming & Diving |
Biology |
| George Washington |
Katherine Swatek |
Rowing |
International Affairs |
| La Salle |
Andres Rodriguez |
Men’s Soccer |
Computer Science and Business Systems and Analytics |
| Loyola Chicago |
Aidan Crawford |
Men’s Soccer |
Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience |
| Rhode Island |
Alexander Arbogast |
Men’s Track & Field |
Political Science and Criminal Justice |
| Richmond |
Joe Sheridan |
Men’s Lacrosse |
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
| St. Bonaventure |
Brooke Piper |
Women’s Lacrosse |
Psychology |
| Saint Joseph’s |
Anthony Gargani |
Men’s Cross Country |
Biology |
| Saint Louis |
Daniel Jekov |
Men’s Swimming & Diving |
Health Sciences |
| VCU |
Phillip Daniel |
Men’s Track & Field |
Business |