BALTIMORE, Md. (June 3, 2019)–Morgan State's Stormy Zyzyk was selected as the 2019 female recipient of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) Nike Post-Graduate Scholarship in the amount of $5,000. North Carolina Central's Andrew King was selected on the men's side.
 
It marks the third consecutive year that a Lady Bear has been awarded the scholarship and the first from the softball program. The previous two recipients were members of the Morgan State women's cross country/track and field program.
 
In 2017, Baltimore native Jada Boyd received the award and entered the Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy at Duke University. Last year Aiyana Ware, a native of Pennsauken, N.J., earned the scholarship and is in the midst of finishing her first year in the highly competitive Urban Teacher Program at Johns Hopkins University, where she is working on a Master of Science in Education with a certification in special education.
 
Zyzyk served the 2018-19 academic calendar as President of Morgan State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She recently graduated this past May with a degree in physical education with a concentration in pre professional physical therapy and had a GPA of 3.989.
 
"We are extremely proud of Stormy and all that she has accomplished athletically and academically," said Morgan State Director of Athletics Dr. Edward Scott. "To have three consecutive recipients awarded the MEAC Post-Graduate Scholarship is an honor and speaks to the quality of student-athletes we have here at Morgan State. Stormy is a tremendous ambassador for the athletic department as well as the entire Morgan State University."
 
A native of Alexandria, Va., Zyzyk is already two weeks into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program in Physical Therapy at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine in Baltimore. 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.
 
"I would like to thank Nike for being the corporate partner for this award, and I am appreciative of our long-standing relationship," 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."
 
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, entered into a multi-year agreement with the conference in September 2016 to become the official apparel, accessory and equipment provide 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.
 
The MEAC Media Relations Office contributed to this release.