DAVIS, Calif. - Ana Marija Sola is one of 29 female fall sport recipients of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, as announced by the organization this week. She is the fifth UC Davis student-athlete to receive this prestigious award during the university's Division I era, and the second in as many seasons.

Last year, former men's soccer player Brian Ford received this scholarship, which is based on academic achievement, athletic accomplishment, community service, and leadership. Nominations go through a regional selection committee with regional finalists forwarded to a national committee. In the fall, only 29 male and 29 female winners are selected with a balance between Division I, II, and III schools.

Other UC Davis selections in recent years include former women's tennis player Randi Schuler (2009), men's tennis player Toki Sherbakov (2013) and women's gymnast Katie Yamamura (2013).

As a Division II program, UC Davis had the most NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners in the nation, and ranked No. 12 overall among all levels.

Recently selected by the Big West Conference as its Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Sola, a double major in English and neurobiology, physiology and behavior, is scheduled to graduate with honors this spring with a cumulative 3.985 GPA.

The women's soccer standout has earned Dean's List recognition for 10 consecutive quarters, is currently ranked within the top one percent of all seniors in the College of Biological Sciences and is in the top 0.5 percent of all seniors in the College of Letters & Sciences.

Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society in 2015, Sola is an annual selection to the Big West Conference's All-Academic Team and became the first member of the women's soccer program in 12 years named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District 8 Team when the organization announced its selections last fall.

A first generation U.S. citizen and college student, she is the first UC Davis student-athlete in the last 20 years to become a Fulbright Scholar semifinalist. The native of Saratoga, Calif., was one of 10 Aggie seniors mentored by faculty throughout the extensive Fulbright application and research proposal this past year. As one of four semifinalists, the international Fulbright selection committee is currently reviewing Sola's nomination packet.

Outside the playing field and classroom, Sola is heavily involved as a volunteer at the Willow Clinic -- a student-run facility that provides medical care to Sacramento's homeless population.

Throughout the last three years, Sola served as an undergraduate researcher for the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience, under the tutelage of Dr. Hwai-Jong Cheng. Sola's efforts are centered on the visual system and its potential association with schizophrenia and autism. Her current independent study is focused on the development of premature systems in infants.

Sola, a two-year team captain, three-time Big West All-Academic and two-time All-Big West honoree started all but two of her 69 games played throughout her four-year career.