NEW ORLEANS | Former South Alabama pitcher Olivia Lackie is one of eight players from around the Sun Belt Conference to be awarded one of the league's postgraduate awards as she has been given a SBC Postgraduate Scholarship as announced by the conference office on Thursday.

ULM's Kaitlyn Nowak (beach volleyball) and Troy's Martin Bouldo (men's track and field) were each awarded a $9,750 scholarship, while Lackie, Louisiana's Alyssa Abbott (women's soccer), Coastal Carolina's Raegan Meyer (women's soccer), Georgia Southern's Megan Przybysz (women's soccer), Texas State's Piper Randolph (softball) and Coastal Carolina's Maj Tomac (men's tennis) were also awarded $4,500 scholarships.

A four-time, first-team all-Sun Belt Conference performer and the 2023 SBC Pitcher of the Year earned her bachelor's degree in biology in May. She began veterinary school on LSU's main campus in Baton Rouge this fall to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

The scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes with stated intentions to pursue a graduate degree following the completion of their undergraduate requirements and are sent directly to the graduate school of each recipient's choice. The recipients were selected by the Sun Belt Postgraduate Scholarship Committee, which is comprised of Faculty Athletic Representatives from across the conference.

To be eligible for Sun Belt Conference Postgraduate Scholarships, nominees must have exhausted eligibility, been declared or designated a varsity letter winner in a Sun Belt-sanctioned sport at a member institution for at least two seasons and achieved a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale).

2024 Sun Belt Conference Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients
Overall Female Postgraduate Award Winner: Kaitlyn Nowak, ULM (beach volleyball)
Overall Male Postgraduate Award Winner: Martin Bouldo, Troy (men's track and field)

Postgraduate Scholarship Award Recipients:
Alyssa Abbott, Louisiana (women's soccer)
Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (softball)
Raegan Meyer, Coastal Carolina (women's soccer)
Megan Przybysz, Georgia Southern (women's soccer)
Piper Randolph, Texas State (softball)
Maj Tomac, Coastal Carolina (men's tennis)

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