Case Western Reserve University senior swimmer\u00a0Drew Hamilton\u00a0<\/b>(Cincinnati, Ohio \/ Turpin) was selected as one of the 29 men’s winter sport recipients of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, which recognizes student-athletes with plans on attending graduate school for their athletic and academic achievements, along with their work in the community and demonstrated leadership.<\/p>\n
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, a $7,500 scholarship to be applied toward the graduate degree program of Hamilton\u2019s choice, is awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically, and are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.\u00a0\u00a0The Association awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women.\u00a0\u00a0This season’s NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients (29 men and 29 women) represent members of fall sports teams, including Basketball, Fencing, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Indoor Track and Field, Rifle, Skiing, Swimming and Diving, and Wrestling.<\/p>\n
Hamilton is the second Spartan this season to claim the scholarship, joining football player Cody Calhoun who received the scholarship in the fall.\u00a0\u00a0He is also just the third member of the men’s swimming and diving team to claim the scholarship, joining Guy Genin, who was selected as a scholarship winner in 1990, and Andrew Henning, who secured the scholarship last year.\u00a0\u00a0Hamilton is the 28th<\/sup>\u00a0student-athlete in CWRU athletics history overall to claim the honor.<\/p>\n Over his career, Hamilton was a four-time NCAA qualifier, collecting five All-American certificates and claiming six All-UAA honors.\u00a0\u00a0During the 2016-17 season, he earned All-America Honorable Mention in the 500-yard freestyle (15th<\/sup>, 4:30.51) and in the 400-yard individual medley (ninth, 3:57.85) at the NCAA Championships.\u00a0\u00a0Hamilton also earned All-UAA in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a second place finish at the UAA Championships. As a sophomore in 2015-16, Hamilton was a member of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that finished 10th<\/sup>\u00a0at the NCAA Championships. In addition, that relay team was the UAA champion in the event, becoming the first CWRU squad ever to win a relay event at the UAA Championships. During the 2014-15 season, Hamilton earned All-America Honorable Mention in the 800-yard freestyle (14th<\/sup>) and in the 1,650-yard freestyle (15th<\/sup>) at the NCAA Championships.\u00a0\u00a0He also became the first CWRU swimmer (male or female) to be named UAA Rookie of the Year.\u00a0\u00a0Hamilton earned the honor after finishing first in the 500-yard freestyle at the UAA Championships, while also adding a second-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley and a second-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Hamilton currently holds six individual program records and is a member of two school-record holding relay teams.<\/p>\n Hamilton was awarded the NCAA\u2019s Elite 90 Award at this year\u2019s NCAA Championships, presented to the athlete at the meet with the highest cumulative grade point average, becoming the first CWRU swimmer and third CWRU athlete overall to claim the honor.\u00a0\u00a0He will graduate this weekend with a major in Accounting and Spanish, and currently carries a 3.947 cumulative grade point average with an incredible 141 credits accumulated during his time at the school.\u00a0\u00a0He plans on attending law school next year.\u00a0\u00a0Hamilton also received CWRU\u2019s Bill Sudeck Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, considered the department\u2019s top award.<\/p>\n Hamilton has also worked with the Cleveland Animal Rescue Center and with Feeding South Florida during his time as a Spartan.\u00a0\u00a0At CWRU, he has been a student tour guide and an orientation leader, and a member of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity and the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity.\u00a0\u00a0He also worked with the CWRU Student-Athlete Sustained Dialogue Group and with Athletes and Allies.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n