Jackson State University softball standout Canessa Swanson was selected as one of 15 female semi-finalists by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine for the 2016 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award.
Swanson, who is a member of the Lady Tigers softball team, is a senior from Houston and has already been named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Softball 2016 Preseason Player of the Year.
The semi-finalists were chosen from more than 1,000 outstanding minority student-athletes nominated by their respective institutions. In 1992, Black Issues In Higher Education magazine, now Diverse, established the Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.
A scholar and athlete, Ashe sought to expand opportunities for young people. Each year Diverse invites every postsecondary institution in the country to participate in this awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars.
In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community activism. To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2; and be active on their campuses or in their communities. The NCAA Office of Inclusion has partnered with Diverse to support this standout class of scholar athletes.
The winners will be profiled in the April 21 edition of Diverse.