Fairfax, Va. - (5/10/2024) – In the most recent issue of Diverse; Issues in Higher Education (April 25), six Griffins were included among those selected as 2024 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars.

The Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sport Scholar Awards were established to honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. The award was inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Jr.'s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis. Colleges and universities are invited to participate in this annual awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability and academic performance, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars demonstrate a commitment to community service and student leadership.

Headlining this year's Chestnut Hill College honorees are women's basketball players Avery White and Brianna Rider. White and Rider were named First Team honorees for their respective sport.

Earning Second Team accolades are men's basketball player Neal Hill and men's soccer players Jose Cuadra and Adam Manfaa.Third team accolades went to football player Nick Ocampo.


White and Rider helped lead the Griffins' women's basketball team to a 20-9 record and their first ever appearance in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championship game.  The two players are among just 16 athletes nationally named as First Team Arthur Ashe Jr.  Women's Basketball Sports Scholars and the only two players from the CACC who were named to either the first or second team. White and Rider are just the third and fourth women's basketball players to be named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award winner joining Michaiah Young and Erica McIntosh, (2017) and the first two to earn First Team accolades.

A business administration and Management major, White earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors and CACC All-Academic Team accolades this past season while sporting a perfect 4.0 cumulative g.p.a.  The sophomore guard started in every game and led the team in assists with 112 while averaging 10.8 points per game.  White is one of four honorees that participates in the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC)

Rider is a two-time CACC All-Academic Team honoree earning Dean's List honors every semester while at Chestnut Hill.  The junior swing player has been involved with CHC's Student Athletic Advisory Committee since her freshman year and this year served as the President of the organization.  Rider recorded a 4.0 g.p.a. in the fall semester and is currently majoring in biology.

Hill, a junior Business administration and Management major, likewise recorded a 4.0 g.p.a. in the fall semester.  One of the top rebounders in the country for Division II, Hill led the Griffins to a berth in the CACC playoffs for the third consecutive year. The junior forward averaged 10.3 rebounds per game and also led the team with 85 assists.  He is also involved with the Chestnut Hill College SAAC program.  Hill is just the third men's basketball player in program history to be named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award winner, joining Nigel Haughton (2023) and Demetrius Isaac (2018).

Cuadra and Manfaa are just the second and third men's soccer players in program history to earn Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar honors, joining Paris Bruhn (2020)   The two were among just 28 men's soccer players nationally to earn the Arthur Ashe Jr.  Sports Scholar Award and among the five CACC players to be named.

A Computer and Information Sciences major, Cuadra was a key cog in the Griffins' defense last season, twice earning CACC Defensive Player of the Week honors.  He has earned Dean's list honors in every semester and sports a 3.87 cumulative g.p.a.  The sophomore defender is also involved in community service activities with his church back home in the Dominican Republic.

Manfaa, a law and legal studies major, earned a 4.0 g.p.a. last semester and will graduate this fall. The senior midfielder was President of the CHC Beat Lab for all four years and instructed students how to create and produce music.  He also served as a library assistant.

Ocampo earns his second Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award, recognized as a third team honoree after earning second team accolades last season. He is a two time All-CSFL First Team honoree and a two-time CSFL Academic Team honoree.  In just three years, he earned his degree in Computer and Information Sciences. He has served as captain of the team for the past two seasons
  
For a complete list of the Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars please use link below.   
2024 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars