SK's Norman Earns A-10 Scholarship

Release courtesy of GoRhody.com – See the original story here.

University of Rhode Island senior Marissa Norman has been named one of four recipients of the annual Atlantic 10 Postgraduate Scholarship, Conference Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade announced last Tuesday.

Norman, Dayton's Yvonne Marten, Jennifer Nalepa from Saint Louis and Charlotte's Macey Ruble will each receive $5,000 to contribute to their graduate education. All four student-athletes have performed with distinction both in the classroom and in their respective sports throughout their career, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

"All four of our post-graduate honorees have distinguished themselves as ideal examples of what all of our student-athletes strive for," McGlade said. "This is one of our most prestigious awards because it honors the academic side of college athletics. Success in the classroom is one of the Atlantic 10's hallmarks, and these four individuals are a large part of that. I extend my congratulations to each of them for standing out in a very competitive field of applicants."

Norman, a South Kingstown resident, has a cumulative 3.61 grade point average as a psychology major, with minors in sociology and kinesiology. She will study sports psychology at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL.

During her career, Norman was a five-time member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, and a six-time member of the Dean's List at URI. She received the Althea Gibson Scholar-Athlete Award, as well as the 2012 Winifred Keaney Award, the top honor given to a senior student-athlete at URI.

Norman has served as a member of URI's Student Athlete Advisory Committee. A two-time Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field champion in the heptathlon, she also won the event at both the 2012 A-10 Outdoor Track and Field Championship and the 2012 Outdoor New England Championship.

During both the indoor and outdoor seasons this year, Norman was named to the A-10's Academic All-Conference Team. Norman is the eighth Ram to earn the prestigious award and the third in track and field.

In addition to her success on the track, Norman is a teaching assistant and certified nonviolence instructor at URI. As a nonviolence instructor, she has delivered lectures on the philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She also spent time in Colorado Springs after being selected to participate in the U.S. Olympic Committee's F.L.A.M.E. (Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere) program, which is designed to help expose minority youths to the Olympics.

The scholarship recipients are made by a panel of five Faculty Athletic Representatives from Atlantic 10 member institutions. The recipients of the A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship are required to use their scholarship toward postgraduate education expenses.

There were 26 scholarship applications from 10 different A-10 institutions. This marked the seventh consecutive year that female applicants have received 3 of the 4 scholarships.  By rule, the scholarships are awarded to one male, one female and two others of either gender.  

For the full release from the conference, click here.

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