Diverse: Issues In Higher Education established the Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who have made achieving both academically and athletically a winning combination. Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe Jr.’s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis, we invite every college and university in the country to participate in this annual awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence and community activism.
To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2; and be active on their campuses or in their communities.
The following pages feature student-athletes who are charging ahead with academics and athletics. Two of these scholar-athletes — University of Illinois tennis player Momei Qu and Hampton University football player Marcus Dixon — were selected as the Sports Scholars of the Year for best exemplifying the standards of scholarship, athleticism and humanitarianism.
Diverse honors Arthur Ashe Jr. by recognizing these student-athletes and salutes Momei and Marcus and all of the 2008 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars. And for the first time, the four female and male finalists are profiled as well.
This year, Diverse also partnered with The New York Times to feature the female and male sports scholars of the year, along with the four finalists in a special advertising section, “A Winning Strategy,” in the Times’ Sunday Play magazine on June 1.
The honorees are listed alphabetically and within teams on the following pages.
