NORFOLK, Va., June 3, 2019—The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has announced that Morgan State University’s Stormy Zyzyk and Andrew King of North Carolina Central University are the 2019 recipients of the Nike Post-Graduate Scholarship.
“I would like to thank Nike for being the corporate partner for this award, and I am appreciative of our long-standing relationship,” MEAC Commissioner Dr. Dennis Thomas said. “In addition, I wish to congratulate the individuals, Ms. Zyzyk and Mr. King, who achieved this honor through their academic and athletic excellence, and I wish them well in their future endeavors – and I want to remind them to Just Do It.”
Zyzyk was a softball student-athlete who majored in Physical Education, finishing with a 3.98 GPA. King was a baseball student-athlete who majored in Chemistry with a minor in Spanish, finishing with a 4.0.
King and Zyzyk both completed their undergraduate degrees last month.
Zyzyk has been accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The program prepares students to function as independent entry-level practitioners upon graduation. The curriculum is a unique block design that helps to integrate foundational and clinical science content across the lifespan. Upon completion of this program, Zyzyk plans to live out her lifelong dream of giving back to student-athletes so they can compete at the highest level.
King has been accepted into the Chemistry Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina. It is a four- to five-year program studying inorganic chemistry that requires working and studying in a laboratory under a faculty member from the start of the second semester until the completion of the program. Upon completion of his degree, King plans to become a researching professor at a university so he will be able to teach, research and mold the next generation of chemists.
Since 2000, the MEAC has awarded two post-graduate scholarships in the amount of $5,000 to a deserving male and female student-athlete for their outstanding academic and athletic performance. In order to receive the scholarship, a student-athlete must be in his or her final season of intercollegiate athletics eligibility and competition under MEAC and NCAA regulations for the sport in which he or she was nominated.
Additional criteria include a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), having performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which he or she has been nominated, the intention to enroll in a graduate degree program at an academically-accredited graduate or professional school, and having been an outstanding citizen as a student-athlete and excellent role model for the institution.
Nike, a longtime corporate partner with the MEAC dating back to the 1990s, entered into its most recent multi-year agreement with the conference in September 2016 that made it the official apparel, accessory and equipment provider for the conference until 2020. The MEAC currently has a conference-wide footwear agreement with Nike, and the apparel, accessory and equipment agreement encompasses 10 of the conference’s institutions.
The MEAC’s Nike Post-Graduate Scholarships are also part of that agreement.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) just concluded its 48th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2018-19 academic year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 12 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.