AMHERST, Mass. – Senior Steph Ternullo of the Amherst College women’s swimming & diving team was recently named a winner of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for her excellence athletically and academically.
Ternullo was one of 29 women throughout Divisions I, II and III from the 2014-15 winter season to receive the one-time non-renewable scholarship of $7,500. The honor is awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring), with 29 scholarships available for men and 29 available for women. Ternullo has been admitted to and plans on attending the University of Cambridge next year, where she will pursue a master’s degree in Social and Economic History.
The senior has enjoyed a stellar career in the pool for the Purple & White, in which she garnered five CSCAA All-America honors and 13 All-NESCAC selections. She made an immediate impact in her first-year with the program in 2011-12, and helped guide the Jeffs to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. She was named an all-conference selection in five events and qualified for four events at the national meet (200, 500 and 1,650-yard freestyles, and 800-yard freestyle relay). The quartet took seventh overall in the 800 free relay en route to All-America laurels.
As a sophomore, Ternullo continued to perform exceptionally well and returned to the NCAA Championships. She helped Amherst finish sixth overall with two All-America honors (400 and 800 free relays), while also placing 12th in both the 200 and 1,650 free. Ternullo also grabbed five more All-NESCAC selections for the second consecutive season.
Wrapping up her impressive four-year campaign in the pool, Ternullo added two more All-America honors to her resume (400 and 800 free relay) during her senior season, while also placing 12th and 15th in the 200 free and 200 medley relay, respectively. She was named an all-conference selection in three events as well.
Ternullo has also shined outside of the pool. A CSCAA Scholar All-American and two-time NESCAC All-Academic selection, she is expected to graduate Sunday with a 3.97 cumulative GPA. The double-major in Economics and Interdisciplinary also participated in Boston University’s study abroad program in the summer of 2013, and earned a 4.0 GPA. In 2012, Ternullo was selected by faculty to be a peer tutor in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics, and has also served as a teaching assistant during the past year. A member of the Amherst College Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Ternullo was elected as the college representative to the NESCAC and was appointed as the campus relations committee chair.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association’s most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletics and academic achievements, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership are evaluated. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study.
Swimming news courtesy of Amherst College Athletics.