KENNESAW, Ga. -- A pair of Kennesaw State University standout student-athletes, Simon Pritchard from men's tennis and Kidan Kidane from cross country, earned a prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship during the 2016-17 academic year.

Pritchard and Kidane were two of just 174 NCAA student-athletes across all divisions to earn the scholarship, which can be applied to individuals' postgraduate endeavors. The Owls were one of just 19 Division I institutions with multiple winners, joining the likes of Stanford, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Navy, Rice and Princeton.

"I am very proud of Simon and Kidan as they are both outstanding individuals and representatives of Kennesaw State," said Randy Kennedy, assistant athletics director for student-athlete success services. "Both of these students were also great leaders with their respective teams, leading with their talent and positive attitude."

The one-time non-renewable scholarships of $7,500 are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

"It is rare to have two students selected for this scholarship," said Kennedy. "But they are both truly deserving student-athletes. They were outstanding in the classroom as well as fierce competitors in their sport. I am certain they will both shine in their respective career fields after finishing their master's degree with this scholarship award."

Pritchard, a Newport, Wales native, graduated from Kennesaw State in the spring with a 3.97 GPA in economics. The four-time first-team All-ASUN selection leaves as the program's all-time leader in both singles wins and doubles wins. Twice named the ASUN Conference's Male Student-Athlete of the Year, Pritchard earned membership to the President's List in each semester of his career at Kennesaw State and was a member of KSU's Coles Scholar Program, a program that only accepts the top 20 business students in the Coles College of Business.

"I'd like to thank the NCAA for awarding me with this scholarship and giving me the opportunity to attend graduate school," said Pritchard. "It such a generous award and will really help me work toward my eventual goal of achieving an MBA."

Kidane, who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia but attended high school at nearby East Paulding, is a two-time All-ASUN performer in cross country. She led the Owls in every cross country meet this season, including a silver-medal performance at the ASUN Championships with the second-fastest time in school history and the fourth fastest time in ASUN Championship history of 17:07.12. She will graduate from KSU this summer with a degree in exercise science.

"I'm so grateful for this amazing opportunity and the chance to attend graduate school," said Kidane. "I want to give a special thank you to Dr. Kennedy for being so supportive throughout my collegiate career and for nominating me for this scholarship."

All former student-athletes who earned an undergraduate degree from an NCAA member school are eligible to be nominated by that school for an NCAA graduate degree scholarship, regardless of when they received their undergraduate degree.

NCAA Division-I institutions with multiple winners in 2016-17
Alabama (4)
Auburn (3)
Ball State (3)
Furman (2)
Georgia (3)
Kennesaw State (2)
Kentucky (2)
Mississippi (2)
Navy (2)
Nebraska (2)
Notre Dame (4)
Princeton (2)
Rice (3)
South Dakota State (2)
Stanford (5)
Tennessee (3)
Texas (2)
Utah (2)
Vanderbilt (2)
 
ASUN Conference members
Kennesaw State – Kidan Kidane – women's cross country
Kennesaw State -- Simon Pritchard -- men's tennis
NJIT – Jabarry Goodridge – men's volleyball
Stetson – Joseph Beery – men's cross country

Should you have any questions or would like to learn more about The Owls Fund, please visit KSUOwls.com/TheOwlsFund, or by contacting us at 470-578-6995 or theowlsfund@kennesaw.edu. You can also follow The Owls Fund on Twitter @TheOwlsFund.

-#GoKSUOwls-
 

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