Four from NC State Earn ACC Postgraduate Recognition

February 22, 2017

ACC Release

RALEIGH – Four NC State student-athletes are among the 54 chosen by the Atlantic Coast Conference as postgraduate award recipients, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. Natalie Labonge, Jennifer Mathurin, and Ashley Williams have been awarded Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarships, while Alexia Zevnik has earned the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $5,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, Zevnik is one of nine ACC student-athletes to receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. This award is given to student-athletes who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports.

The student-athletes will be honored at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club and presented by ESPN on April 12 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Imperial Ballroom in Greensboro.

Natalie Labonge | Communication and Foreign Languages & Literature | Swimming | Greensboro, N.C.
Natalie Labonge, a Greensboro, N.C., native, is a six-time ACC champion (3x200 Freestyle relay, 2x400 freestyle relay and 1x200 medley relay) and was a member of the 2017 ACC championship team that won the meet for the first time since 1980. At this year's championship, she earned her highest individual finish, tying for third place in the 50 free. Labonge holds the school record in the 100 butterfly and was a member of two record-breaking relays this year, the 200 free and 200 medley relays. The senior, double-majoring in Communication and Foreign Languages & Literature, is a three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree and a 2016 CSCAA Scholar All-American. At the 2016 NCAA Championship, Labonge competed in the 100 fly, and the 200, 400 and 800 free relays, earning All-American Honors. She has led the team as co-captain for two consecutive years.

Jennifer Mathurin | Social Work | Basketball | Montreal, Canada
A three-year starter and four-year contributor for the NC State women's basketball team, Jennifer Mathurin has played in more than 115 games and scored nearly 1,000 points throughout her career for NC State. She helped lead her freshman team (2013-14) to an NCAA Tournament appearance and is on the verge of duplicating this feat as a senior (2016-17). A 2016 All-ACC Academic Team member, Mathurin has consistently achieved one of the highest GPAs on the team while averaging nearly eight points and just over five rebounds per game throughout her career.

Ashley Williams | Industrial Engineering | Basketball | Cary, N.C.
Beginning her career as a walk-on and earning her way into the starting lineup as a junior, Ashley Williams has made a significant impact on the NC State women's basketball program. The 2016 ACC Kay Yow Scholar Athlete of the Year, Williams has consistently maintained a GPA just shy of 4.00 while becoming one of the top three-point shooters in NC State history. Averaging more than five points and two rebounds per game throughout her career, Williams currently ranks among the top seven players in Wolfpack history with more than 150 made three-pointers.

Alexia Zevnik | Human Biology and Business Administration | Swimming | Lasalle, Canada
At the most recent ACC Championship, Alexia Zevenik, a senior from Lasalle, Canada, earned the ACC's Most Valuable Swimmer award after she swept her events, winning the 200 individual medley and the 100 and 200 backstroke. Each win was the program's first win in history in its respective event. Zevnik holds four individual school records and was part of two record-breaking relays. She is a two-time Short Course World Champion (4x50, 4x200 freestyle relay), a six-time ACC champion, and a five-time All-American (100, 200 back; 400, 800 free Relay; 400 Medley Relay). The Human Biology and Business Administration double-major has been named a CSCAA Scholar All-American three times and has earned All-ACC Academic honors three times as well. The senior led her team as co-captain her junior and senior seasons.

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Four from NC State Earn ACC Postgraduate Recognition

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