Mayhew, Vallverdu Collect ACC's Weaver-James-Corrigan Award
March 17, 2010
Greensboro, N.C. – University of Miami student-athletes Genny Mayhew and Laura Vallverdu have been selected as recipients of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Award, announced by Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford. A total of 36 student-athletes were chosen to receive this year’s award.
Mayhew, a political science and English major, played four seasons with the UM volleyball team under head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. Mayhew completed a standout volleyball career at Miami, finishing in the school’s all-time top 10 in 11 categories. The Clovis, Calif., native set single-match records for more kills and points in a three-set match, as well as most attacks in a four-set match, and garnered second-team All-ACC recognition in 2008. She also became just the fifth UM volleyball player to eclipse 1,000 kills in a career, ranking fourth all-time in school history for kills (1,018). Mayhew also ranks seventh in kills per set (2.74) and fourth in attempts (3,122).
Away from the court, the political science and English double major was the volleyball team representative to Miami’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a five-time Miami Book Buster–a program recognizing outstanding academic achievement among Hurricane student-athletes, and was the founding member of the Student-Athlete Voter Outreach and Registration program in Coral Gables. Following graduation, Mayhew plans to pursue her Master’s degree in political science at the University of California – Santa Barbara.
Also receiving this year’s Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is women’s tennis student-athlete Laura Vallverdu. Vallverdu, a three-time All-American for the Hurricanes, is the school’s all-time leader in singles victories for women’s tennis, owning a record of 117-29, mostly at the No. 1 position for the `Canes. She is also ranked in the top 10 for UM in doubles victories, sitting with a record of 90-34 thus far in her career. With five more doubles victories, Vallverdu could move to fourth all-time at UM for doubles wins.
The Valencia, Venezuela native finished the 2009 season as a singles finalist at the NCAA Championship in College Station, Texas, and is a three-time ACC All-Academic Women’s Tennis Team selection – including last season’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year campaign. Additionally, she was named to the Provost’s Honor Roll twice with a major in psychology, and plans to attend Miami’s School of Education beginning in 2011.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James, as well as Gene Corrigan, all of whom are former ACC commissioners. The league’s first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954-70 after a stint as the Director of Athletes at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Miami’s Matt Pipho was selected to receive the Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarship. These $5,000 scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate-level degree following graduation and have performed with distinction in both the classroom and in their respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James post-graduate scholarships were given as separate honors. The Jim Weaver Award, which originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James Award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.
