NORFOLK, Va. – Amanda Nhek of the Old Dominion women's soccer team was one of 14 accomplished recipients of the Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship that Conference USA honored on Thursday. 2021 marks the 13th year the award has been named after Dr. Jim Castañeda, who served Rice for 46 years as an educator, coach and faculty athletics representative before he passed in 2008. Every season, C-USA grants the $4,000 scholarship to distinguished graduates selected by the league's Faculty Athletics Representatives and approved by the Conference USA Board of Directors.
Nhek (Gainesville, Va.) graduated in May with a perfect 4.0 GPA as a physical education major and health education minor. In three seasons with the Monarch women's soccer program, Nhek was tabbed the team's Newcomer of the Year in 2018 and the top scorer in 2019. The graduate forward and C-USA All-Academic nod is set to attend George Mason's Antonin Scalia Law School in the fall.
2021 Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients
Meredith Hamby, Charlotte, Women's Soccer
Erica Brok, Florida Atlantic, Beach Volleyball
Julia Fiuza Moreira de Miranda, FIU, Women's Swimming
Ashley Channell, Louisiana Tech, Women's Bowling
Kyle Winquist, Marshall, Men's Soccer
Peyton DePriest, Middle Tennessee, Women's Soccer
Joseph Murray, North Texas, Men's Basketball
Amanda Nhek, Old Dominion, Women's Soccer
Mirella Baker, Rice, Women's Swimming
Tyler Lantz, Southern Miss, Baseball
Jana Hecking, UAB, Women's Tennis
Bryanna Molina, UTEP, Softball
Joshua Lamb, UTSA, Baseball
Edward Jackson Swiney, WKU, Baseball