Former Emory University women’s tennis standout Bridget Harding (Northport, NY) has been named a spring recipient of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, bestowed upon student-athletes who excel academically and athletically, while also serving as leaders in the community.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, a $7,500 scholarship to be applied toward the graduate degree program of Harding’s choice, is awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically, and are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
Emory has been awarded 114 postgraduate scholarships over the school's history, and its 97 since 2000 is second only to Stanford University for the highest total by any NCAA member.
A four-year member of the program, Harding was a three-time All-American in both singles and doubles. She finished her career as Emory’s all-time leader with 113 doubles victories while ranking third with 106 singles wins, just one of three players in program history to post 100 or more triumphs in both categories. She recorded 24 or more singles triumphs in each of her four campaigns (played in the #1 spot her final three seasons) including this past year’s mark of 25-10. Named by the University Athletic Association as Player of the Year her final two campaigns, Harding was also tabbed as the ITA 2017-18 Atlantic South Region Senior Player of the Year. This past season she, along with Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico, established a school seasonal mark with 34 doubles wins en route to advancing to the semifinal round at the NCAA D-III Championships. As a junior, Harding became just the third player in Emory women’s tennis history to record 30 or more wins in both singles and doubles competition in a single season, posting a career-high 30 singles victories (30-11) while racking up. 31 doubles wins (31-10). She was a NCAA D-III Championships participant in both singles and doubles her final three years. During her stint in the program, Emory compiled a dual record of 87-21, won the 2016 NCAA Championships, brought home three national runner-up finishes and claimed four UAA titles.
A three-time member of the UAA All-Academic Team and two-time UAA President’s Council Scholar Athlete, Harding was named an Emory Class of 2018 100 Senior Honorary. She was nominated for the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship with a 3.81 grade-point average as a human health major.
Bridget is the fifth women’s tennis player in school history to be awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Emory saw five student-athletes receive the Scholarship during the 2017-18 school year with Jason McCartney (men’s soccer) and Gabrielle Stravach (women’s cross country) fall awardees and Oliver Smith and Cooper Tollen from the men’s swimming and diving program winter honorees.
A total of 174 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships are awarded annually, 87 for men and 87 for women. Fifty-eight (29 men, 29 women) scholarships are announced after each fall, winter and sports season and stretch across NCAA Division I, II and III institutions.