CLEVELAND – Former Arizona State women's basketball standout Sophia Elenga was named one of eight winners of the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards, according to an announcement by the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation on Wednesday.
Through the support of the Fiesta Bowl's endowment commitment to the Foundation, a John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship is awarded each year to a student associated with an Arizona-based four-year institution. The McLendon Scholarship, presented by the Fiesta Bowl, is being awarded to Elenga, who plans to pursue a master's in sport law and business this fall.
"The McLendon Minority Scholarship develops the next generation of collegiate athletics leaders. Providing opportunities for learning and leadership will instill confidence and experience for the next steps in their careers," stated Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Mike Nealy. "Sophia is inspirational in how she moved to a new country, adapted to a new culture and committed to guide the student-athletes that will follow her. We're excited to see her career path blossom here at Arizona State University."
Added McLendon Foundation President and Director of Athletics at Georgetown University, Lee Reed, "The McLendon Scholar family extends far and wide across the country since the Foundation was established in 1999, and we are proud to recognize these eight new members with this distinction," stated. "Each of the deserving recipients will utilize their education to become outstanding collegiate athletics administrators while serving as positive role models for future generations of minorities aspiring to work in our industry."
Originally from Nogent Sur Oise, France, Elenga played in 68 games for the Sun Devils and was a member of ASU's NCAA Tournament teams in 2018 and 2019. As a senior, Elenga was second on the team in field goal percentage (53.7) and third in rebounds (5.1 rpg) and blocked shots (0.4 bpg) in helping the Sun Devils advance to the NCAA Sweet 16
Elenga transferred to ASU from Cochise College (Douglas, Ariz.) where she earned Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) First-Team honors and First-Team All-Region I (Div. I) recognition in 2016 and 2017. She helped lead the Apaches to their best record in program history (28-4) in 2017 as they captured their first Region 1 Division 1 championship in more than 30 years.
Last month, Elenga earned her undergraduate degree in sports journalism from ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship winners will each receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards postgraduate studies in athletics administration. Funding for the scholarship program has been provided in part by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); the Cleveland Cavaliers; Major League Baseball (MLB); the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA); the National Basketball Association (NBA); the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA); Capital One; and Sears, Roebuck and Co. As of the 2018-19 academic year, the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program has awarded over 100 scholarships, totaling over $1 million.
Through the support of the Fiesta Bowl's endowment commitment to the Foundation, a John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship is awarded each year to a student associated with an Arizona-based four-year institution. The McLendon Scholarship, presented by the Fiesta Bowl, is being awarded to Elenga, who plans to pursue a master's in sport law and business this fall.
"The McLendon Minority Scholarship develops the next generation of collegiate athletics leaders. Providing opportunities for learning and leadership will instill confidence and experience for the next steps in their careers," stated Fiesta Bowl Executive Director Mike Nealy. "Sophia is inspirational in how she moved to a new country, adapted to a new culture and committed to guide the student-athletes that will follow her. We're excited to see her career path blossom here at Arizona State University."
Added McLendon Foundation President and Director of Athletics at Georgetown University, Lee Reed, "The McLendon Scholar family extends far and wide across the country since the Foundation was established in 1999, and we are proud to recognize these eight new members with this distinction," stated. "Each of the deserving recipients will utilize their education to become outstanding collegiate athletics administrators while serving as positive role models for future generations of minorities aspiring to work in our industry."
Originally from Nogent Sur Oise, France, Elenga played in 68 games for the Sun Devils and was a member of ASU's NCAA Tournament teams in 2018 and 2019. As a senior, Elenga was second on the team in field goal percentage (53.7) and third in rebounds (5.1 rpg) and blocked shots (0.4 bpg) in helping the Sun Devils advance to the NCAA Sweet 16
Elenga transferred to ASU from Cochise College (Douglas, Ariz.) where she earned Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) First-Team honors and First-Team All-Region I (Div. I) recognition in 2016 and 2017. She helped lead the Apaches to their best record in program history (28-4) in 2017 as they captured their first Region 1 Division 1 championship in more than 30 years.
Last month, Elenga earned her undergraduate degree in sports journalism from ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship winners will each receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards postgraduate studies in athletics administration. Funding for the scholarship program has been provided in part by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); the Cleveland Cavaliers; Major League Baseball (MLB); the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA); the National Basketball Association (NBA); the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA); Capital One; and Sears, Roebuck and Co. As of the 2018-19 academic year, the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program has awarded over 100 scholarships, totaling over $1 million.