Oct. 22, 2008

CLEVELAND - The five winners for the ninth annual John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards were announced today by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

The winners are:

The winners will each receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards postgraduate studies in athletics administration. Funding for the scholarship program has been provided in part by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); the Cleveland Cavaliers; Major League Baseball (MLB); the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA); the National Basketball Association (NBA); the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA); and Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Minorities (as defined by federal guidelines) who intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in athletics administration are eligible for these scholarships. Students were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and have demonstrated leadership qualities on an institutional or community level.

Biographies on each of the winners and more information about the McLendon Award can be found below:

Keenan Blalark attended Northern Illinois University where he earned an undergraduate degree in psychology. While at Northern Illinois, Blalark was a member of the NIU football team and was named as a position captain during his senior year. Aside from his athletics activities, Blalark volunteered as a guest reader at Parkview Elementary school. He also shared his musical talents as a full-time saxophonist for Living Gospel Church of God in Christ. Blalark was a member of the Dean's list and also received the Jawan Jackson Memorial Award which is given annually to a former walk-on who makes the greatest impact on NIU's football team. He is currently attending graduate school at his alma mater, where he is pursing a master's degree in sports psychology. Upon the completion of his graduate work at NIU, Blalark plans on pursuing an additional master's degree in sports administration at Northwestern. Blalark hails from Elgin, Illinois.

Alejandra Diaz-Calderon is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where she earned an undergraduate degree in finance. Diaz-Calderon was on the Fighting Irish's women's golf team, where she was selected as captain by her teammates for two straight years. While at Notre Dame, Diaz-Calderon was the golf representative on the university's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), was selected as Notre Dame's spokesperson on the Big East Student-Athlete Advisory Council and received the Rockne Scholar Student-Athlete Award for performance in the classroom. She also participated in Habitat for Humanity, where she organized a golf tournament to raise funds to build houses for Hurricane Katrina victims. In addition, she was involved in the D.A.R.E. program to educate elementary school children about the importance of goal setting, and was asked to be a guest speaker at several Notre Dame benefaction dinners. Diaz-Calderon has been accepted at the University of Central Florida's DeVos Master in Sports Business Management program. Diaz-Calderon is from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Keunta Miles graduated with honors from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. McCray was a member of the Knights basketball team where she captained the squad during the 2006-07 season. During her career, Miles earned the Phyllis Klock Academic Award, which is awarded each year to the individual with the highest GPA on the women's basketball team. Miles was a recipient of the Conference USA All-Academic Team as well as a member of the conference's academic honor roll for two consecutive seasons. She has also volunteered her time for Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots and the Special Olympics. Miles is currently an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at the University of North Florida and has aspirations of completing her master's degree in sports business and becoming an athletics director. Miles has been accepted into postgraduate programs at Central Florida, North Florida and Saint Leo University. Miles is from Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.

Araceli Ortiz is a graduate of Stanford University where she earned a bachelor's degree in international relations, as well as a master's degree in Latin American studies. Ortiz was a member of the women's rowing team at Stanford, while participating as a peer mentor to freshman to help them have a smooth transition to college life. She was a finalist for the J.P. Morgan Good Venture Program and was a member of the National Society of Hispanic MBA's Program at MIT Sloan. Araceli has been an intern for the WNBA's Chicago Sky, an expansion team during the summer of 2006 and for Boys Hope Girls Hope in Sao Paulo, Brazil where she helped develop educational and physical fitness programs for underprivileged students. In addition, she participated in the Summer Venture in Management Program at the Harvard Business School in 2006. Ortiz is originally from Chicago, Illinois. She will be pursuing her second master's degree in business administration with a focus in sports administration at Stanford University in 2010. Currently, Ortiz is working at the United States Golf Association.

Carl Pendleton II is a 2006 graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. As a member of the Sooner football team, Pendleton was a starter for the 2004 Big 12 Championship game, as well as the BCS National Championship game that year. He was a member of Oklahoma's Student Athlete Advisory Council and, in 2006, represented the school at the NCAA Leadership Conference. Due to an unhealthy environment, Pendleton bypassed his final season of eligibility to adopt his stepbrother. While supporting a two-person family, Pendleton has remained a positive role model in the community. He has taught Sunday school classes for elementary school age boys and is involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Oklahoma. He also travels on a weekly basis to speak to schools, churches and youth groups. Pendleton is a native of Norman, Oklahoma. He currently works as a graduate assistant in the athletics department at Oklahoma and is working toward his master's degree in adult and higher education administration with an emphasis in intercollegiate athletics.

About the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program: The John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards are presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration. If you have any questions regarding this program, please visit www.mclendonminorityfoundation.com.

About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 44th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,300 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations that come under the umbrella of the athletics director. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.