April 28, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame men’s tennis captain Tyler Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) has been chosen as the first-ever male recipient of the American Eagle Outfitters Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership Award, as selected by the BIG EAST Conference Academic Affairs Committee.
In its inaugural year, the award is named for Michael Tranghese, the BIG EAST’s first full-time employee who served as commissioner of the conference from 1990 to 2009. Annually, the Conference will honor one male and one female student-athlete from a BIG EAST-sponsored sport who have been admitted to a degree-granting or professional program for the following year and who have demonstrated leadership through excellence in academic credentials, athletic performance and depth of commitment to service within the institution or the community.
Tennis player Amy Zhang of Rutgers University has been designated as the female recipient. Both Davis and Zhang will receive a $5,000 scholarship to their postgraduate studies.
Davis, the first-ever two-time captain in the history of the Notre Dame men’s tennis program, will graduate in May 2011 from the University’s College of Science with a degree in science business and plans to attend medical school in the fall at Vanderbilt University.
He owns a 3.933 grade point average and has been a Dean’s List member in all seven of his semesters at Notre Dame. A three-time member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team, he was the 2010 recipient of the league’s Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence award and also was Notre Dame’s institutional male recipient of the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete award this past January.
A four-year starter who has played in every match throughout his collegiate career and has been part of teams that have played in the NCAA tournament on three occasions, Davis has helped lead the Irish to a 15-10 mark this season and a No. 30 ranking in the most recent Campbell/ITA poll. He currently owns a 17-4 overall record in singles play and is 20-13 overall in doubles matches during the 2010-11 campaign. Davis and his then doubles partner, Stephen Havens, were ranked as high as No. 28 this season.
In 2008, he and his Irish teammates captured the BIG EAST team title.
While at Notre Dame, Davis has been the recipient of the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award and the Leader of Distinction Award that is presented to individuals who have been deemed exceptional leaders by their coaches and teammates. In addition, he also participated in the Rosenthal Leadership Academy.
Away from the tennis court, he serves a research assistant within biology department at the University. Davis also has been a member of Notre Dame’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council for three years and is an officer within that group while serving as the BIG EAST SAAC representative. He also is a hospital and nursing home volunteer and participates in a weekly “Read to a Child” program. Davis served as the chief organizer for the men’s tennis team’s participation in the Fighting Irish for Life program in 2009 that paired a local high school student with cancer to the squad for a semester. He also is a volunteer for the Lifeworks Dream Team that helps to lead interactive workshops with South Bend elementary children about reaching their dreams.
In addition, he annually has participates in the Athletic Department’s Pediatric Christmas Party and collected funds for the Haiti Relief Effort in 2010 during a men’s basketball game.
The American Eagle Outfitters Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership award is one of a number of scholarships presented by the BIG EAST Conference and American Eagle Outfitters during the 2010-11 academic year. In addition to this award, 32 student-athletes (one male and one female from of the BIG EAST’s 16 member institutions) have been named as the winners of the American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Basketball Scholar-Athletes of the Year and an American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year.