Washington Earns Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar Honors
8/27/2007 1:38:59 PM | Women's Basketball, 'Cats in the Community
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- For the second straight year, Tia Washington (Charlotte, N.C.) of the Davidson women's basketball team was named to the 2007 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Third Team as announced recently by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine. Washington, who just graduated from Davidson College this spring, was a third team member last season.
In 1992, Black Issues In Higher Education, now Diverse, established the Sports Scholars Award to honor undergraduate students of color who have made achieving both academically and athletically a winning combination as well as exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.
Washington, who earlier this past season was honored twice as the Southern Conference TIAA-CREF Student Athlete of the Week, excelled both in the classroom with a 3.66 GPA in the fall studying sociology, as well as on the basketball court as the team's starting point guard. She led the Wildcats to their best season in school history as they finished with a school-record mark of 23-9 this year on their way to the program's first-ever postseason bid with a trip to the WNIT.
Washington will leave as one of the best point guards to ever have played at Davidson after etching her name throughout the Wildcat record books. She concluded her career as the third most accurate shooter from the field, nailing 50.7 percent of her field goals. Washington also finished out her career ranked in the Wildcat top-15 record book in five categories in all, including tied for second in assists (317) and fourth in steals (200).
An All-SoCon Second Team member this year, Washington had career bests in field goals (109) and free throws (69) made, while dishing out a career-high 115 assists and averaging 9.1 points per game during her senior campaign. To top it all off, Washington ran off a streak of 63 straight games where she dished out at least one assist in a contest dating back to Feb. 7, 2005.
Washington also excelled academically during her four-year playing career. She was a three-time SoCon TIAA-CREF Student Athlete of the Week and was named to the SoCon All-Academic team three straight seasons by maintaining at least a 3.2 GPA. In 2006, Washington won the Coleman Lew Leadership Award as announced by the SoCon and the Commissioner's Medal for her outstanding academic accomplishments.
Besides her excellent academic and athletic standards, Washington was very active on the campus of Davidson College and in the community. She helped establish the first Speech Center in Davidson College history and assisted in tutoring students for final examinations in speech classes. Washington was also a member of the Davidson College Black Student Coalition, an orientation helper for Davidson's Orientation Team, a member of the Alumni Leadership Program for seniors, and a volunteer for Athletes in Action. In addition, she was also a volunteer during Davidson's honoring of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2006.
In the near future, Washington is planning on pursuing a degree in graphic design on the graduate level and ultimately would like to be a graphic designer.
To be included for the Arthur Ashe Scholar honors, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 and be active on their campuses or in their communities.
Each year, Diverse invites every post-secondary institution in the country to participate in this awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community activism.
In 1992, Black Issues In Higher Education, now Diverse, established the Sports Scholars Award to honor undergraduate students of color who have made achieving both academically and athletically a winning combination as well as exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.
Washington, who earlier this past season was honored twice as the Southern Conference TIAA-CREF Student Athlete of the Week, excelled both in the classroom with a 3.66 GPA in the fall studying sociology, as well as on the basketball court as the team's starting point guard. She led the Wildcats to their best season in school history as they finished with a school-record mark of 23-9 this year on their way to the program's first-ever postseason bid with a trip to the WNIT.
Washington will leave as one of the best point guards to ever have played at Davidson after etching her name throughout the Wildcat record books. She concluded her career as the third most accurate shooter from the field, nailing 50.7 percent of her field goals. Washington also finished out her career ranked in the Wildcat top-15 record book in five categories in all, including tied for second in assists (317) and fourth in steals (200).
An All-SoCon Second Team member this year, Washington had career bests in field goals (109) and free throws (69) made, while dishing out a career-high 115 assists and averaging 9.1 points per game during her senior campaign. To top it all off, Washington ran off a streak of 63 straight games where she dished out at least one assist in a contest dating back to Feb. 7, 2005.
Washington also excelled academically during her four-year playing career. She was a three-time SoCon TIAA-CREF Student Athlete of the Week and was named to the SoCon All-Academic team three straight seasons by maintaining at least a 3.2 GPA. In 2006, Washington won the Coleman Lew Leadership Award as announced by the SoCon and the Commissioner's Medal for her outstanding academic accomplishments.
Besides her excellent academic and athletic standards, Washington was very active on the campus of Davidson College and in the community. She helped establish the first Speech Center in Davidson College history and assisted in tutoring students for final examinations in speech classes. Washington was also a member of the Davidson College Black Student Coalition, an orientation helper for Davidson's Orientation Team, a member of the Alumni Leadership Program for seniors, and a volunteer for Athletes in Action. In addition, she was also a volunteer during Davidson's honoring of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2006.
In the near future, Washington is planning on pursuing a degree in graphic design on the graduate level and ultimately would like to be a graphic designer.
To be included for the Arthur Ashe Scholar honors, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 and be active on their campuses or in their communities.
Each year, Diverse invites every post-secondary institution in the country to participate in this awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community activism.
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