Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine announced the 2022 Arthur Ashe Jr. finalists for the Male and Female Athlete of the Year and winners in each individual sport category winners (Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar) this week with Alabama State graduate student Breon Pooler (Huntsville, Ala.) named to the list.
Pooler, the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in baseball, graduated from Alabama State in May 2020 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Physical Education and Psychology, and is currently pursuing his graduate degree in Applied Technology. This season on the field, Pooler is 4-0 on the season with a 1.50 earned run average and 1.00 WHIP. He has logged 38 strikeouts in 36.0 innings and has been named Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Pitcher of the Week this season, along with being named the SWAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Along with baseball, 35 other winners were recognized in their individual sport along with the Male and Female Athletes of the Year earning recognition. The male finalists (in alphabetical order) included Nakobe Dean (football/Georgia), Aaron Mateo Olmos (wrestling/Oregon State), and Shea Pitts, football/UCLA); while the female finalists included (in alphabetical order) Bryanna Brown (basketball/Lincoln), Sophie Jaques (ice hockey/Ohio State), and Ivana Shah (golf/Akron).
The annual Ashe award is a part of a quarter-century legacy of recognizing outstanding minority young men and women who have distinguished themselves in their academic and athletic pursuits. In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5, be at least a sophomore academically, and be active on their campuses or in their communities.