June 20, 2016

IRVING, Texas – Conference USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod named the 14 recipients of the Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship Awards today. This is the eighth year the award has been named for Dr. Castañeda, who served Rice University for 46 years as an educator, coach and Faculty Athletics Representative before he passed away in November 2008. The conference annually awards the $4,000 Postgraduate Scholarships to graduates as selected by the C-USA Faculty Athletics Representatives and approved by the Board of Directors.

Complete Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship Release 

2016 JIM CASTAÑEDA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS:
Alexis Betancourt, Softball, Charlotte
Robin Spiegel, Men’s Soccer, FIU
Derek Moise, Football, Florida Atlantic
Diamond Every, Women’s Track & Field, Louisiana Tech
Jack Hopkins, Men’s Soccer, Marshall
Nayara Moraes, Women’s Tennis, Middle Tennessee
Kedron Sowells, Men’s Track & Field, North Texas
Edwin Logan Teal, Men’s Swimming, Old Dominion
Solomiya Zinko, Women’s Tennis, Rice
Mary Pursell, Volleyball, Southern Miss
Elaine Simon, Women’s Tennis, UAB
Cameasha Turner, Women’s Basketball, UTEP
Kauwela Neal, Women’s Soccer, UTSA
Rachel Engle, Volleyball, WKU

Alexis Betancourt, Softball, Charlotte
Betancourt completed her fifth year of eligibility with the Charlotte softball team, after receiving a medical hardship. She earned her undergraduate degree in exercise science with a 3.91 GPA, and currently maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA in her graduate coursework in kinesiology, with a concentration in clinical exercise physiology. A native of Garner, North Carolina, Betancourt ranked second in the league in strikeouts looking, third in strikeouts and wins, and sixth in both opponent's batting average and ERA. She recorded eight or more Ks in nine games this season, including a two-hit, 11 K shutout against former league rival East Carolina. The four-time C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal recipient and CoSIDA Academic All-American had the opportunity to participate in a semester-long internship at Levine Cancer Institute. There she observed the role exercise and physical activity had on the patients. After earning her master’s degree in clinical exercise, she plans to enroll in medical school.

Robin Spiegel, Men’s Soccer, FIU
FIU goalkeeper Spiegel was a four-year letter winner for the Panther men’s soccer team with a double major in International business and management. He graduated with a 3.77 GPA, maintained Dean’s List status all four years and earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree. On the pitch, he was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team after starting in goal all 18 games of his rookie season. A native of Wipperfürth, Germany, Spiegel has been accepted to graduate school at fellow C-USA member Charlotte, Boston College, St. John’s University and Cologne Business School in his home country.

Derek Moise, Football, Florida Atlantic
Moise has excelled in Florida Atlantic’s criminal justice program, while also competing as a four-year letter winner for the Owl football team at wide receiver. Moise, who hails from Miami, Florida, received his bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice, and is already enrolled in the master’s program at Florida Atlantic. As an undergraduate, he was a two-time selection to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and earned similar honors his freshman year from the Sun Belt. He was also named to the FAU All-Academic Team seven times.

Diamond Every, Women’s Track & Field, Louisiana Tech
Every, a sprinter for the Louisiana Tech track team, received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the school last month. Every was leadoff for the Lady Techsters on the 2015 C-USA Outdoor champion 4x400 relay team. She was also qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2013. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, she hopes to enroll in the School of Physical Therapy at LSU’s Health Sciences Center in her hometown.

Jack Hopkins, Men’s Soccer, Marshall
Hopkins has compiled a number of awards during his four-year career as a midfield and defender on the Thundering Herd men’s soccer team. A four-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and twice selection to the C-USA All-Academic Team for men’s soccer, he maintained a 3.64 GPA as a biology major and chemistry minor. Hopkins plans to work as a conservation biologist to help assess environmental issues that arise and help preserve and restore ecosystems. He has been accepted into the MEERM (Masters of Earth and Environmental Resource Management) program at South Carolina. Hopkins has also applied to similar programs at VCU, Alabama and UAB in his Birmingham hometown.

Nayara Moraes, Women’s Tennis, Middle Tennessee
Moraes, who hails from Santos, Brazil, completed her four-year career with the Blue Raider women’s tennis team and obtained her degree in business management. A three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, she also received ITA Scholar Athlete Honors and the President’s Award at MT. Moraes was also a member of the Chi Alpha Honor Society and was named to the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars in 2014. Moraes plans to obtain her MBA from Middle Tennessee.

Kedron Sowells, Men’s Track & Field, North Texas
Sowells was a four-year letter winner for the Mean Green track and field team, running sprints. A kinesiology major with a minor in allied health, Sowells earned his bachelor’s degree in May. He was a four-time President’s List and C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member. The native of Lancaster, Texas, was also engaged in various community service events and was a two-time C-USA Spirit of Service winner. Sowells has been accepted into the physical therapy doctorate program at the University of Incarnate Word.

Edwin Logan Teal, Men’s Swimming, Old Dominion
Teal swam distance events for Old Dominion over the past four years, serving as team captain during his junior and senior seasons. A native of Holly Springs, North Carolina, he earned his degree with a double major in finance and business analytics with a 3.63 GPA. Teal made the Dean’s List six semesters during his career and was a three-time selection to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He has been admitted to North Carolina State’s Institute for Advanced Analytics and will be pursuing his master’s in analytics.

Solomiya Zinko, Women’s Tennis, Rice
Zinko played an instrumental role in the Owls’ four consecutive C-USA Women’s Tennis Championship titles. Coming to Rice from her hometown of Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, the team captain earned All-Conference USA third-team honors in both singles and doubles. Zinko was also a four-time member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll, a three-time ITA Scholar Athlete and earned a spot on the Rice President’s Honor Roll. While a student, she interned at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and helped found an on-campus organization named Millenify that mentored local high school students in the area of social entrepreneurship and leadership. She earned her degree in kinesiology with a 3.65 GPA, but plans to pursue her master’s in real estate at NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate.

Mary Pursell, Volleyball, Southern Miss
Pursell was a four-year letter winner as the libero for the Southern Miss volleyball team. An accounting major, she received a C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal all four years and graduated last month with a 3.862 GPA. Pursell, who hails from Kenner, Louisiana, was also commended for her stellar performances on the court. She was named C-USA Libero of the Year back-to-back seasons, earning All-Conference USA first-team honors those same 2014 and 2015 seasons. Her 677 total digs in 2015 set the single-season school record and ranked seventh on the NCAA charts. Pursell will be attending the University of Mississippi beginning this summer to obtain her master’s degree in accountancy.

Elaine Simon, Women’s Tennis, UAB
Simon graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in biology with Spanish and chemistry minors as a member of the University Honors Program. A native of Monroe, Louisiana, she was a four-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and was named to the Dean’s List three semesters. Simon and her teammates on the Blazer women’s tennis team held the highest team GPA on campus during the past two seasons. Simon plans to remain at UAB to pursue a master’s in biomedical and health sciences.

Cameasha Turner, Women’s Basketball, UTEP
Turner graduated in May with a perfect 4.0 GPA as a criminal justice major with a minor in psychology/legal reasoning. She became the first UTEP women’s basketball player to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American (second team), and was also chosen as an Academic All-District honoree and member of the C-USA Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team for a second consecutive season. On the court, Turner guided the Miner women’s basketball team to one of its greatest campaigns in program history. She wrapped up her career with a C-USA regular-season crown and a deep WNIT run to go along with a school-record 29 victories. Turner finished her senior season as an All-C-USA first-team and C-USA All-Defensive Team selection, averaging 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The Dallas product also received the C-USA Spirit of Service Award, volunteering with the Special Olympics, Children’s Hospital, Let’s SAAC Hunger and the UTEP Mini Basketball Clinic during the academic year. A first-generation college graduate, Turner has aspirations of becoming a lawyer and has been accepted to Notre Dame Law School.

Kauwela Neal, Women’s Soccer, UTSA
Neal lettered four years for the Roadrunner women’s soccer team as a forward, serving as team captain during her senior campaign. A kinesiology/athletic medicine major, she graduated with an overall GPA of 3.83 and was a three-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal. Neal, who hails from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, had spent summers volunteering at a physical therapy clinic in her home state. She has been accepted to Chapman University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and will begin her studies this August.

Rachel Engle, Volleyball, WKU
Engle graduated from WKU in May with a perfect 4.00 GPA as a biology major with a chemistry minor. She was named to a President’s Scholar each semester of her career. A four-year letter winner for the Lady Toppers volleyball team, the outside hitter was named the team’s Most Improved Player in 2014. During her time on the roster, WKU won four conference regular-season titles and earned three conference championships to advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Engle has applied to the Doctor of Pharmacy programs at Sullivan University and Lipscomb University.