May 8, 2012

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG men’s soccer player Peyton Ford and women’s cross country and track and field runner Ashley Schnell have earned two of the Southern Conference’s eight postgraduate scholarships, the league office announced Tuesday.

Ford won the league’s Dave Hart Graduate Scholarship, named in memory of former SoCon Commissioner Dave Hart Sr. Schnell claimed the Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship, named after the league’s first female faculty athletics representative.

A redshirt junior goalkeeper, Ford boasts a perfect 4.0 grade point average while majoring in political science with a minor in business. Ford led the Spartans to their second straight SoCon regular-season title in 2011, earning All-Southern Conference Second Team honors and a spot on the NCCSIA All-State Team. He posted a 0.70 goals against average, the second-best mark in the league, and led the SoCon with an .847 save percentage. He shared the league lead with nine shutouts on the year. With 18 career shutouts, Ford is UNCG’s Division I leader and ranks in the league’s top 10 all-time in that category. Off the field, he has been involved with UNCG’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and has volunteered at Relay for Life. Ford, a Jamestown, N.C., native, plans to enter UNCG’s Bryan School of Business in the fall to pursue an MBA while competing in his final season of soccer.

Schnell was the SoCon cross country champion in both 2010 and 2011, taking home SoCon Runner of the Year honors each season. In 2011, she became the first female runner in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships, missing All-America honors by just 16 seconds, and helped UNCG to its first-ever SoCon team title. In track, the redshirt senior won indoor SoCon titles in the distance medley relay and the mile and an outdoor title in the 1,500 meters for the second straight year. A two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection and a third-team Capital One Academic All-American, Schnell owns a 4.0 GPA in musical performance. She has been involved in volunteer efforts through numerous outlets, including the FoodNet program at a local church and with the Golden Key Society. The Lincoln, Neb., native intends to continue her studies in musical performance by enrolling in graduate school in the fall.

Ford and Schnell are both members of UNCG’s Golden Chain Honor Society.

This year’s other SoCon postgraduate scholarship honorees include: David Knight Graduate Scholarship recipient Caroline Newman (College of Charleston), William V. Moore Graduate Scholarship presented by McMillan/Pazdan/Smith recipient Jessica Smith (Furman), Coleman Lew & Associates Graduate Scholarship recipient Sarah Butts (Samford), Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship recipient Shanna Couch (The Citadel), and Bob McCloskey Insurance Graduate Scholarship recipients James Carroll (Elon) and Katelyn O’Dunne (Elon).

The eight student-athletes will be honored for their accomplishments at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner in Asheville, N.C., on Wednesday, May 30.

- UNCG -