SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Four University of Notre Dame student-athletes earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Awards, as announced by the conference Wednesday.
Andrew Alexander (men’s cross country/track & field), Maddy Denner (women’s cross country/track & field) and Philip Quinton (men’s soccer) earned recognition as 2022 ACC Postgraduate Scholars, while Rachel Tanczos (women’s lacrosse) was recognized as an honorary postgraduate scholarship nominee.
ANDREW ALEXANDER
Alexander is a cross country All-American after finishing 21st at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships, where the Fighting Irish placed second. Alexander received All-ACC First Team status with his bronze medal and personal best 5k time of 14:01.48 at the ACC Championships in 2019. In that same season, he competed at the NCAA East Regionals where he finished 23rd in the 5k with t atime of 14:27.44. Most recently, Alexander set a personal best at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Great Lakes Regional Championship where he placed seventh.
MADDY DENNER
Denner is a 2021 Cross Country All-American after finishing ninth overall at the NCAA Championships with a time of 19:37.7. Denner is also a 2020 All-ACC team member in cross country. Denner earned Second Team All-American honors in the 2021 Outdoor 5,000m race. She also set a personal best during that race with a time of 15:49.71. Denner placed third in the women’s 3000m at the 2019-20 ACC Indoor Championships with a personal best of 9:15.07 and was then named to the 2020 All-ACC Academic Team. In 2019 she came in second at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the women’s 10,000 meters with a time of 34:00.45.
PHILIP QUINTON
Quinton anchored the Irish defense as a center back and was a captain during the 2021 season. The senior picked up a number of honors and awards following his prolific season as he was named TopDrawerSoccer Postseason Best XI First Team, CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American, 2021 ACC All-Tournament Team and 2021 All-ACC Third Team. The Portland native helped spark Notre Dame’s postseason run, as the team allowed just two goals over eight postseason matches. Quinton helped lead the Irish to the ACC title, as the defense didn’t allow a single goal over four matches. The center back also scored two goals during the 2021 season. Quinton was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft in January.
RACHEL TANCZOS
Tanczos broke her own program record in 2020, in the weight throw for the fourth time in her junior season with a mark of 23.31m at the Alex Wilson Invitational. The mark ranked first in the country in the weight throw for the 2020 season and placed Tanczos 11th all-time in NCAA indoor track and field history in the event. Following the performance, she was named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week as well as ACC Field Performer of the Week for the fourth time in the 2020 season. She earned USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors four times throughout the 2020 season. In 2020 Tanczos qualified to compete in the women’s weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships as the top-seeded thrower in the event.
In 2021 she tallied a PR in the hammer throw at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round (65.56m). She also took first place at the Louisville Invitational in the hammer throw (61.78m), first place at the Lenny Lyles Cardinals Invitational in the shot put (15.35m), and first in the shot put at the Notre Dame Invitational (14.49m).
Tanczos was named to the All-ACC Second team in 2018, four times in 2019, and was named the 2020 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.
ABOUT THE WEAVER-JAMES-CORRIGAN AWARD
The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver, Bob James, and Gene Corrigan, the first three ACC commissioners. The league’s first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954-70 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Robert C. James, a former Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served in that capacity for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.
Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987 and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan’s tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.
Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were awarded as separate honors, including the Jim Weaver Award, the Marie James Award and the Bob James Award.