ULM Warhawks

NEW ORLEANS – ULM seniors Baillie Cunningham and Tanya Lariviere have been selected as 2018 Sun Belt Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients, as selected by the conference's Faculty Athletic Representatives. Cunningham, who was named the Sun Belt's Top Female Postgraduate Award winner, receives a $6,500 scholarship while Lariviere earns a $3,000 scholarship.
 
The scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes with stated intentions to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Those honored have performed with distinction both in the classroom and in their respective sport. ULM and Georgia State led the Sun Belt with two postgraduate scholarship award recipients each.
 
Cunningham recorded 25 Top-10 finishes during her four-year track career at ULM. As a senior in 2018, she posted a personal-record 2:19.73 in the 800 meters at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet. Her top individual finish came in the 800m (second place at 2:22.54) at the 2017 Central Arkansas Open.
 
The Baldwyn, Mississippi, native also competed in cross country as both a junior and senior. In 2017, Cunningham recorded Top-10 finishes in the Warhawk Invitational (seventh) and Louisiana Tech Mook Triple Duals (eighth with 4K personal-best 17:16.4).
 
Cunningham graduated summa cum laude (perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average) in May 2018 with Bachelor of Science in toxicology. She earned a position on the President's List all eight semesters. Cunningham also was selected Phi Kappa Phi her last three semesters.
 
"I can think of no one more deserving of this honor than Baillie," ULM track and field head coach J.D. Malone said. "She exemplified the student-athlete in her four years at ULM. In my 24 years here, Baillie is the first female athlete to graduate with a 4.0. I'm extremely proud of her."
 
"It was an honor for me to represent ULM as a student-athlete," Cunningham said. "The athletic and academic staffs at ULM always had open doors and would do anything they could to help all student-athletes achieve success. My athletic advisor Carmen Wright was one of the most influential people in my time here at ULM. She was always willing to help me with whatever I needed whether it be academic support, encouragement or advice.
 
"At times, the pressure to succeed in the classroom and on the track became overwhelming. Knowing that I had these resources readily available helped me stay focused and achieve academic success. I'm extremely thankful for all that the staffs at ULM did for me in my four years here.
 
"While I had great academic success, I'm most grateful for the things outside the classroom that the athletic experience taught me," Cunningham continued. "I learned the importance of responsibility, hard work, time management and perseverance. I believe these things will help me achieve success in all aspects of life."   
 
A four-year letterwinner in soccer, Lariviere appeared in 50 career matches, including 36 starts as a midfielder. As a senior in 2017, Lariviere earned starts in 17 of 18 games and recorded a .750 shots-on-goal percentage.
 
A native of Burlington, Ontario, Lariviere graduated cum laude in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in communication/public relations. She achieved recognition on the President's List twice and the Dean's List three times.
 
"Tanya is an extremely hard worker," ULM women's head soccer coach Keyton Wheelock said. "I'm happy she has been recognized and awarded this postgraduate scholarship. She has put in many long hours and is very deserving of this award."
 
"It's an absolute honor to receive this postgraduate scholarship from the Sun Belt Conference," Lariviere said. "I can't thank my teammates and coaches enough for not only helping me excel on the field but in the classroom as well."