Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards program

RINDGE, N.H. (June 9, 2016) – Junior middle Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) of the Franklin Pierce University volleyball team has been named a 2016 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, as announced in the April 21 issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Garcia earned a selection to the 28 student-athlete First Team for volleyball, and was one of just 82 volleyball players nationwide, across all three NCAA divisions, to be honored by the program.

Per Diverse, The Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards program is designed to "honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field." Institutions across the country are encouraged to nominate sports scholars each year, taking into account a student-athlete's leadership and commitment to community service, in addition to athletic and academic successes.

Garcia, who graduated magna cum laude with a degree in health sciences this spring after just three years in Rindge, entered the spring semester with a 3.67 grade-point average. On the court, she collected her second straight All-Northeast-10 Conference selection in the fall, capping her career with her first selection to the First Team. Garcia ranked fifth in the Conference in hitting percentage (.293), as well as 11th in total kills (291), while averaging 2.53 kills per set. On the defensive side of the net, she collected 83 blocks, to rank ninth in the NE-10. It all added up to 3.1 points per set for Garcia, which ranked second on the team.

The Ravens finished the 2015 campaign at 18-11 and qualified for the NCAA Championship for the third time in the last four seasons, falling to Dowling in the quarterfinal round of the East Regional.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce volleyball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).