Men's Soccer player Ryan Smith receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

Ryan Smith

By Steven Wright

| NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Program |

ADA - Men's soccer senior Ryan Smith has been awarded one of the NCAA's Postgraduate Scholarships in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a scholar and a student-athlete.

Smith is a biology major who will be attending medical school upon graduation.

The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women.

The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

Of the 29 men who received the award in the fall, Smith was one of only four soccer players to attain the scholarship.

"We place a lot of emphasis on both academic and athletic success, and we are so proud that one of our team members was recognized for all of his hard work," said head coach Brent Ridenour. "Ryan is a great example for everyone on our team that hard work on the field and in the classroom pays off in the future."

This season, Smith was Second Team NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America, First Team NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-Mid East Region and First Team Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference.

Throughout his career, Smith was a three-time First Team All-OAC honoree and was named OAC Defender of the Year as a sophomore and a senior.

Smith anchored a defense that led ONU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006 and the NCAA Elite Eight in 2008.