NOTRE DAME, 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.
Stefani Deschner (women’s fencing), Yared Nuguse (Men’s Track and Field) and Kelly Straub (women’s diving) earned recognition as 2021 ACC Postgraduate Scholars, while Maddie Howe (women’s lacrosse) was recognized as an honorary postgraduate scholarship nominee.
STEFANI DESCHNER
Deschner is a senior foilist set to compete in her second NCAA Championship this upcoming weekend. The Versailles, Ky. native is coming off a breakout junior season where she went 36-13 during the regular season and won the women’s foil ACC Championship. After the season, Deschner was named the ACC Women’s Fencing Scholar Athlete of the Year. She is currently pushing a degree in Pre-Professional Studies and Theology.
YARED NUGUSE
Nuguse is a two-time NCAA national champion, claiming gold in the 1,500m run at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships and anchoring the men’s distance medley relay to the title at the 2019 NCAA Indoor National Championships. In cross country, Nuguse led Notre Dame to the 2020 ACC Men’s Championship with his gold medal 8K time of 23:03.6, the second-fastest time by a winner at the event since 1968.
The ACC cross country gold medal was the first for an Irish male runner. Nuguse also became the first Notre Dame runner to earn USTFCCCA National Male Athlete of the Week honors during cross country season when he was recognized on Nov. 3. He followed up by helping Notre Dame to a second-place team finish at the NCAA Championships – the best for the program since the 1957 NCAA team title – with a 23rd-place All-America 10K finish of 30:26.6 on March 15 at Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Nuguse has earned two major ACC awards, receiving ACC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year following the 2020-21 season and the 2019 ACC Men’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Year after winning the national title in the 1500 meters.
KELLY STRAUB
Straub, one of three team captains for the Irish women’s swim and dive team, earned a bronze medal at the 2021 ACC Championships on Platform. She qualified for the 2021 NCAA Championships in all three events (Platform, 1-meter and 3-meter), and earned honorable mention All-America honors for her performance on the 3-meter.
She was a CSCAA All-American in 2020 in all three events, and has been named ACC women’s Diver of the Week on multiple occasions. In 2020, she was named the program’s most valuable diver, and qualified for the NCAA Championships in all of her eligible seasons (2020 cancelled due to COVID-19).
In 2020, she was selected a member of the All-ACC Academic Team, and in 2019, was named an academic All-American. Straub is a Science Pre-Professional major at Notre Dame, with a minor in compassionate care in medicine.
MADDIE HOWE
Howe, a team captain for the Irish in 2021, was a IWLCA Second Team All-American in 2019 and is a two-time Tewaaraton Watch List honoree. In 50 career games, Howe has racked up 128 goals and 43 assists for 171 points. The Fairport, New York, native has also totaled 41 ground balls, 31 caused turnovers and seven draw controls.
Howe’s additional accolades include 2021 & 2020 Preseason All-ACC, 2020 Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American, 2019 IL Honorable Mention All-American, 2019 IWLCA First Team All-American and 2019 First Team All-ACC.
Howe is set to graduate in May with a degree in Finance from the Mendoza College of Business.
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.