Press Release courtesy of LSU Athletics
Three members of the LSU swimming & diving team were recently awarded academic scholarships from the E.J. Ourso College of Business and College of Engineering. Thomas Smith, Nicole Rozier and Mitchell Petras were honored at the colleges’ respective scholarship banquets in February.
Smith was awarded both the Travis Varner Memorial Scholarship and the Chevron Information Technology Scholarship from the Ourso College of Business. Rozier received the Gene Perdue Lowe Scholarship and Petras earned both the Joe and Kim Reid Scholarship and the Chevron Energy Leaders Scholarship from the College of Engineering.
Smith, a junior from Huntington Beach, California, has proven himself a leader in and out of the pool. Smith spends much of his time improving the Baton Rouge community, and was named to the SEC Community Service Team this season. In the pool, Smith scored at the SEC Championships in both the men’s 100 and 200 backstroke, finishing 22ndand 23rd overall, respectively. The junior has also cemented his place of the men’s all-time list as the school record holder in the 200 back and also has the fourth-fastest time in the 200 individual medley.
Smith earned two scholarships, the Travis Varner Memorial Scholarship and the Chevron Information Technology Scholarship. The Travis Verner Scholarship, which goes to an upperclassman majoring in Information Systems and Decision Sciences (ISDS) with at least a 3.0 grade point average (gpa). Recipients must also be involved with the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). The Chevron Information Technology Scholarship is given to upperclassmen ISDS majors with at least a 3.0 gpa and involvement in extracurricular activities. Both scholarships are worth $1,000.
“These scholarships are a platform to be able to learn more,” said Smith. “With the funds, I’m able to research more and fine-tune my craft. Hopefully, I’ll be more informed and know my field better. I’ll be able to help companies more going forward with these scholarships.”
Rozier, a sophomore from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has excelled in both the pool and the classroom. In dual meet competition, Rozier has consistently scored for the Tigers, including a win in the women’s 200 IM in a quad meet against Houston, Rice, and Tulane, as well as a second place finish in the 200 IM versus Texas A&M. At the SEC Championships last month, Rozier scored for the Tigers in the 200 IM, where she swam a time of 1:59.12 to finish 24th overall. That time also put her seventh on the all-time top times list.
Rozier received the Gene Perdue Lowe Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship awarded to full-time students who are classified as a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering.
“Being awarded a scholarship has been one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had,” explained Rozier. “It shows me that someone else out there believes in me and what I’ve accomplished and wants to help me succeed in my goals. It gives me even more motivation to do well in my studies and be just as productive in the workforce.”
Petras, a junior from Augusta, Georgia, ended this season with personal-best times in both the men’s 100 and 200 breaststroke at the SEC Championships, finishing 35th overall in both events.
Petras accumulated $3,500 in scholarships at the banquet. The Joe and Kim Reid Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship given to juniors majoring in Petroleum Engineering with at least a 3.0 gpa. Petras’s second scholarship, the Chevron Energy Leaders Scholarship, is a $2,500 award given to 24 undergraduate engineering students with a high school GPA of a 3.0, ACT 27 or higher majoring in STEM. Once in college the student must be full-time with a 3.2 GPA majoring in STEM and participates in the Chevron Energy Leadership Academy during their junior year.
“I feel extremely honored and grateful to have received the Chevron Leadership Academy Scholarship and the Joe and Kim Reid Scholarship,” said Petras. “Both donors are largely involved at LSU, with Chevron being one of the most supportive contributors to the new College of Engineering building, and Joe Reid having been an athlete himself at LSU. To have such dignified organizations helping to fund my education inspires me to push myself in the classroom each and every day. I appreciate the opportunity these scholarships have given me to represent LSU, the College of Engineering, the Athletics department, and myself as a hardworking individual.”
For more information and updates on LSU Swimming and Diving please visit LSUsports.net, ‘like’ us on Facebook at LSU Swimming and Diving or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @LSUswimdive.