July 2, 2004
DAVIS, Calif. -
UC Davis student-athletes Laura Cherdack and Kelly Albin have each earned distinction by receiving prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, it was recently announced by the NCAA.
The pair were among 116 award winners of the scholarships from winter and spring sports. Each scholarship is worth $7,500. According to the award's criteria, nominated student-athletes must have an overall grade-point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) and performed with distinction in the sport they were nominated. The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee selects the winners.
Cherdack, a senior from Sherman Oaks, Calif., earned distinction as a distance runner in both track and field and cross country. On the track, she finished seventh in the 10,000-meter run at the 2003 NCAA Division II Championships with a time of 36 minutes, 12.98 seconds, placing her No. 5 on the program's all-time leaders' list and earning her All-America accolades. She also scored 13 points at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, finishing second in the 5,000 and fourth in the 3,000. This track season, she posted a personal-best time of 17:12.79 in the 5,000 at the Oregon Twilight.
Cherdack also earned distinction as a cross country runner, twice earning All-CCAA honors including in 2002 when she was fourth at the conference championships. She went on to earn All-West Region honors in 2002 by placing 10th and was 46th at the national championships. Cherdack had a strong senior season this year, capping her career by finishing in 35th at the USATF Club Championships in December. She was the Aggies' top runner at the highly competitive meet.
Cherdack majored in communication and is currently interning with the Sacramento Monarchs and KOVR-TV in Sacramento. She is preparing for law school, which she plans on beginning in 2005.
The award is another in a procession of scholar-athlete honors for Albin, a lacrosse standout who will begin a master's degree program at UC Davis in the fall. She was selected for both the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Honor Roll and the Academic All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation squad. Additionally, the Fort Bragg, Calif., native earned second-team Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA.
On June 5, Albin won prestigious awards almost simultaneously on each coast. In ceremonies in Baltimore, Md., she was named as the IWLCA Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year. That same evening at UC Davis, Albin was presented with the W.P. Lindley Award for the university's outstanding scholar-athlete.
On the field, Albin swept first-team All-America honors from the IWLCA, Inside Lacrosse and the website womenslacrosse.com. She posted a school-record 29 assists and a career-best 43 goals in 2004, helping lead the Aggies to a 12-5 record and a No. 2 national ranking. Albin finishes her career as the all-time leader in assists and ground ball, and among the top five in goals, total points, shots, shooting percentage and draw controls.
Cherdack and Albin's awards give UC Davis 41 all-time NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners.
