NEW ORLEANS – ULM Beach Volleyball's Kaitlyn Nowak was announced as the Sun Belt Conference's 2024 Overall Female Postgraduate Award Winner, the league announced on Thursday (Aug. 29).

ULM's Kaitlyn Nowak (Beach Volleyball) and Troy's Martin Bouldo (Men's Track and Field) were the top honorees, each receiving a $9,750 scholarship.

Nowak, a four-year letterwinner for the Warhawks in beach volleyball, earned a bachelor's degree in biology. She plans to pursue her master's degree in genetic counseling at the University of South Florida.

Bouldo, a five-year letterwinner for the Trojans in men's track and field, posted was a double-major earning bachelor's degrees in physics and chemistry. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at the University of Virginia's School of Medicine on his journey to becoming a doctor specializing in cancer medicine.

As the overall female and male postgraduate award winners, Nowak and Bouldo will be formally recognized at the Sun Belt Conference Honors Banquet in conjunction with the Sun Belt Fall Meetings on October 22, 2024 in Atlanta.  

Louisiana's Alyssa Abbott (Women's Soccer), South Alabama's Olivia Lackie (Softball), Coastal Carolina's Raegan Meyer (Women's Soccer), Georgia Southern's Megan Przybysz (Women's Soccer), Texas State's Piper Randolph (Softball) and Coastal Carolina's Maj Tomac (Men's Tennis) will also be awarded $4,500 scholarships.

A four-year women's soccer letterwinner, Abbott recently graduated from Louisiana with a bachelor's degree in biology. She will be attending dental school on the LSU New Orleans campus on her path to becoming a dentist.

A four-year letterwinner and All-Sun Belt Conference performer as a pitcher for the Jaguars, Lackie earned her bachelor's degree in biology. She will be attending veterinary school on LSU's main campus in Baton Rouge this fall to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

A four-year letterwinner on the women's soccer team at Coastal Carolina, Meyer graduated with her bachelor's degree in political science. She will begin her Juris Doctorate at the University of South Carolina's School of Law with ambitions to become a sports agent or in-house counsel for a sports company.

A five-year letterwinner on the Eagles' women's soccer team, Przybysz earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Georgia Southern before completing the Master of Science program in public health at her alma mater. Her next goal is to complete a second master's degree before beginning a career as a physician's assistant.

A four-year letterwinner as a member of Texas State's softball program, Randolph recently completed her bachelor's degree in business management. She will begin her Juris Doctorate at Baylor University Law School and intends to pursue a career as a legal advisor and NIL agent for college and professional athletes.

A two-year letterwinner competing for the men's tennis team at Coastal Carolina following two years at Jacksonville State, Tomac graduated with a bachelor's degree in hospitality and resort tourism management and will pursue a postgraduate degree in hospitality at the Swiss Hotel Management School in Switzerland.

The scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes with stated intentions to pursue a graduate degree following the completion of their undergraduate requirements and are sent directly to the graduate school of each recipient's choice. The recipients were selected by the Sun Belt Postgraduate Scholarship Committee, which is comprised of Faculty Athletic Representatives from across the conference.

To be eligible for Sun Belt Conference Postgraduate Scholarships, nominees must have exhausted eligibility, been declared or designated a varsity letter winner in a Sun Belt-sanctioned sport at a member institution for at least two seasons and achieved a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale).

2024 Sun Belt Conference Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients

Overall Female Postgraduate Award Winner:
Kaitlyn Nowak, ULM (Beach Volleyball)

Overall Male Postgraduate Award Winner:
Martin Bouldo, Troy (Men's Track and Field)

Postgraduate Scholarship Award Recipients:
Alyssa Abbott, Louisiana (Women's Soccer)

Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (Softball)

Raegan Meyer, Coastal Carolina (Women's Soccer)

Megan Przybysz, Georgia Southern (Women's Soccer)

Piper Randolph, Texas State (Softball)

Maj Tomac, Coastal Carolina (Men's Tennis)