UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball senior Lexie Black and men’s tennis senior Andrei Paduraru have been awarded 2023 Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships, announced on Thursday.
Black and Paduraru were each awarded a $7,500 postgraduate scholarship by the Big Ten Conference.
Black was one of three softball student-athletes to secure one of the Big Ten’s highest honors. A diligent student in the classroom and valuable contributor on the field of play, the Omaha, Nebraska, native locked in a cumulative GPA of 3.91 while earning her bachelor’s degree in veterinary and biomedical sciences in Happy Valley. She will continue her academic career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she will pursue her Doctorate in veterinary medicine. Her success in the classroom afforded her College Sports Communicators Academic All-District accolades in 2023, her first career recognition by CSC after earning Easton/NFCA Scholar Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten honors every season in which she was eligible.
A routine contributor to the Nittany Lion squad as starting first baseman and cleanup batter, Black appeared and started in all 47 games for PSU this season. She finished the year batting a career-best .319 with 10 home runs, 15 doubles and 36 RBI. One of the most dominant hitters in the league last season, Black finished with an OPS of 1.085, the ninth-best mark among all Big Ten batters, culminating in her selection as an All-Big Ten Second Team designee. Additionally, Black brought home the first Big Ten Player of the Week honor for the Nittany Lions in the 2023 campaign on April 24, becoming just the second Nittany Lion to haul in the accolade since 2016.
Paduraru recently graduated from Smeal College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in supply chain & information systems with a 3.67 GPA. The Michigan native is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
As a senior, Paduraru collected five singles wins this Spring, helping the Nittany Lions to 15 wins as a team. He earned singles wins this season against Saint Francis, Mount St. Mary’s, Drexel, Villanova and Purdue. In doubles, Paduraru tallied three doubles victories, including two in dual matches. Paired with Pranav Nemani for doubles win against Mount St. Mary’s and combined with Loren Byers for a doubles victory…
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