Miami, Florida native recognized for the second time in her career by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education for performance on the court and in the classroom
Poveda |
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education – May 2020 Issue
EASTON, Massachusetts (May 28, 2020) – The Stonehill College volleyball junior Sophia Poveda was named to the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar second team for the second time in her career, as published in the May edition of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education sponsors the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards to honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe Jr.'s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis, U.S. colleges and universities are invited to participate in this annual awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability and academic performance, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars demonstrate a commitment to community service and student leadership.
Poveda, who has earned a 3.63 cumulative grade-point average and a 3.68 GPA as of the fall semester and while majoring in economics and earning minors in political science and business, was one of two student-athletes from the Northeast-10 Conference to be named on the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar volleyball teams.
Currently, Poveda volunteers her time as a counselor with the Ace's Girls Program, which is a female empowerment program for local youth and is a peer mentor at Stonehill with the Moreau Honors Program and a subject tutor with Stonehill's Center for Writing and Academic Achievement. Poveda has coached for the 14-under Mass Premier Volleyball Club team during her time at Stonehill. She volunteered at Carlton M Viveiros Elementary school in Rhode Island and takes time during the holiday season to volunteer at My Brother's Keeper in Easton, Massachusetts. During her sophomore year, Poveda was nominated by her coach to be involved in the Stonehill Leadership Development Series for student-athletes. From 2014-18, Poveda was a Student Spokesperson for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) where she was a speaker at FCA Night of Champions, donor events, and school chapels.
Poveda earns second team for the second time in her career (PHOTO BY: Andrew Katsampes) |
The junior co-captain assisted the Skyhawks to a 17-10 overall mark and 9-4 in the NE10 as they made their second appearance in three years in the semifinal round of the NE10 Tournament after finishing second in regular season. These records were the best record for the Skyhawks since 2014 and they finished eighth in the NCAA East Region.
Poveda has totaled 20 double-doubles in her career, earning 12 of them this year. She saw career highs in five categories including kills (274), kills per set (2.88), hitting percentage (.221), digs (249), and digs per set (2.62). In the NE10, she finished ranked seventh in kills per set, 11th in total kills, 27th in hitting percentage, 30th in total digs, and 34th in digs per set.
This past season, Poveda was named to the NE10 All-Conference first team, for her first conference honor. She has also been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll five semesters. In April, Poveda earned her first St. Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Students, Medal for having the highest GPA on the volleyball team through the fall 2019 semester.
Poveda was a 2017 graduate of Westminster Christian School in Miami, Florida, where she played basketball and volleyball. The junior also played club volleyball for the Miami Elite.
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