Sept. 4, 2008

CLEVELAND – The 2008-09 John McLendon Postgraduate Scholarship finalists have been announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), today.

The 10 finalists are Keenan Blalark, Northern Illinois; Alejandra Diaz-Calderon, Notre Dame; Rita Grayson, Francis Marion; Hiroki Kosugi, Slippery Rock; Jenna MapefT, Buffalo; Keunta Miles, North Florida; Araceli Ortiz, Stanford; Carl Pendleton II, Oklahoma; Jasmine Rogers, Delaware State; and Lakesha Tolliver, South Carolina.

The above mentioned winners names were forwarded to the John McLendon Memorial Minority Blue Ribbon Committee for their award selection by the John McLendon Awards Committee. The Awards Committee consists of 20 individuals, including 13 athletics directors. The ADs are Kevin Anderson, United States Military Academy; Sharon Beverly, Vassar; Rudy Carvajal, Cal State Bakersfield; Deborah Chin, New Haven; Earl Edwards, California San Diego; Mike Garrett, Southern California; Dan Guerrero, UCLA; Craig Littlepage, Virginia; Lee McElroy, Albany; Warde Manuel, Buffalo; Bernard Muir, Georgetown; Gene Smith, Ohio State; and Keith Tribble, Central Florida. Other voting representatives include Sean Frazier, associate athletics directors, Wisconsin; Alfreeda Goff, senior associate commissioner/chief of staff, Horizon League; Curt Hamakawa, associate professor of sports management, Western New England; Anne Little, NCAA director of First Team Mentoring; Dell Robinson, associate commissioner, Mid-American Conference; Dennis Thomas, commissioner, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference; Alfred White, associate commissioner, Conference USA.

The above mentioned finalist names were sent to the John McLendon Memorial Minority Blue Ribbon Committee, who are responsible for selecting the five individuals for the McLendon Scholarship. The committee includes Wayne Embry, senior basketball advisor to the president, Toronto Raptors; Greg Gumbel, CBS Sports; Stan Johnson, executive director, MOAA; Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County Commissioner; Jim Kahler, executive director, Center for Sports Administration, Ohio University; Joanna McLendon, McLendon fund administrator; Omar Minaya, general manager/executive vice president, baseball operations, New York Mets; Claire Van Ummerson, vice president and director, Office of Women in Higher Education, American Council on Education; Gene Washington, director of football development, NFL; Charlotte Westerhaus, vice president of diversity and inclusion, NCAA; and Bruce Wimbish, basketball communications manager, Cleveland Cavaliers and NABSP president.

The winners will each receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards postgraduate studies in athletics administration. Funding for the scholarship program has been provided in part by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); the Cleveland Cavaliers; Major League Baseball (MLB); the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA); the National Basketball Association (NBA); the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA); and Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Minorities (as defined by federal guidelines) who intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in athletics administration are eligible for these scholarships. Students were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and have demonstrated leadership qualities on an institutional or community level.

About the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program: The John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards are presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration. If you have any questions regarding this program, please visit mclendonminorityfoundation.com.

About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 44th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,300 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations that come under the umbrella of the athletics director. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.