Three Emory University student-athletes were selected as winter recipients of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as announced by the NCAA Wednesday afternoon.
Among the three chosen for the scholarship were women's basketball standout Claire Brock and swimming stalwarts Caroline Maki and Sloane Donovan. The award, which is a $10,000 scholarship that can be applied toward their current or future graduate degree programs, is annually bestowed upon student-athletes who excel academically and athletically while also serving as leaders in the community.
The three recipients are the latest Eagles to be chosen for the honor, bringing Emory's total to 128 in its history and its 111 recipients since 2000 mark the second-most of any NCAA institution, trailing only Stanford University.
Brock is the third player in women's basketball history to be bestowed the honor, joining Mandy Jackson (1995) and Amy Carter (1997). For Maki and Donovan, they became the 59th and 60th members in Emory swimming & diving history to be chosen for the prestigious award.
Brock recently completed her Eagle career this past season as the most accomplished player in program history, leading the team to back-to-back NCAA tournament berths for the first time in team history. A finalist for the Jostens Trophy in 2024, which recognizes the most outstanding collegiate basketball player that combines academic, athletic and community service excellence, Brock captured three d3hoops.com All-Region selections during her tenure and was a three-time All-UAA honoree including a pair of First Team selections. In addition, she became just the seventh Emory student-athlete, in any sport, to be chosen as a three-time Academic All-American by CoSIDA/College Sport Communicators with her second straight First Team designation in April. Brock, who ranks seventh all-time in team history in points scored, was a UAA President's Scholar selection, Emory 100 Senior Honorary member, and is the first Eagle to be a two-time All-America Honorable Mention by the WBCA.
Away from the court, Brock carried a 4.0 grade point average as a Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology major and completed her master's degree in Bioethics this year. Next year, she plans to pursue a doctoral degree at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She spearheaded Emory Athletics' Farmworker Hygiene Initiative in 2024, logged community service hours with Foreverfamily's "5K 4 Kids;" Emory Winship Win the Fight 5k, Habitat for Humanity and Ronald McDonald House, and has been a medical assistant with University Orthopaedic Surgeons and aided in research with Hess-Jinnah Laboratory and Dr. Hashemian.
Maki concluded her Emory career in 2023 after leading the women's swimming & diving team to back-to-back NCAA runner-up finishes. During her final national meet, Maki earned All-America honors in all seven events she competed in, winning national championships as part of the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle relays, and etched her name in the Division III record books with the national record in the 200 Medley. Maki added a national runner-up performance in the 100 Freestyle and was fifth in both the 50 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly. For her career, she was a three-time relay national champion and a 17-time All-American. In 2023, she was named the UAA Swimmer of the Year after leading the Eagles to their 24th consecutive conference championship. She won a UAA title in six events, setting UAA meet records in two relays, and boosted her career totals to 14 UAA championships and 18 All-UAA performances. Furthermore, she was a CSC Academic All-America and CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team selection and a member of the Emory 100 Senior Honorary. She completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences with a 3.92 GPA as well as completed her master's degree in public health.
Outside the pool, Maki logged over 150 hours of service with Emory's Ecological Society as she served as Conservation Chair and President, and over 50 hours as a project lead to Sustainability and Social Justice Grant Projects. Following her undergraduate graduation, she joined the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to research how diseases transmitted from animals to humans have been exacerbated by climate change and plans to pursue a PhD in disease ecology next year.
Donovan completed her swimming career this past spring as she helped the Eagles to a sixth-place finish at nationals, the team's third top-six showing with her on the roster. As a distance freestyle specialist, Donovan reached the podium in the 1,650 Freestyle as a sophomore and was a Second Team All-American in the event as a junior and senior. She is a two-time UAA champion in the mile in her career and added All-UAA acclaim twice in the 500 Freestyle. This past spring, she was honored with her second consecutive selection to the CSC Academic All-America First Team and was a CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2023.
Away from the water, Sloane will graduate with a 3.98 GPA as a Biology major and plans to pursue a Doctor of Medicine degree at The University of Alabama Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine next fall. She has completed close to 300 hours as a volunteer phlebotomist with Clarkston Community Health Center as well as additional volunteer positions with the Harriett Tubman Women's Clinic, Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, Emory Education in Medical Emergencies Club, Emory Brain Exercise Initiative Club, Atlanta Community Food Bank, and Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition.