CLEVELAND – The McLendon Foundation is proud to recognize the eight winners of its Postgraduate Scholarship Awards.

"On behalf of The McLendon Foundation and our Board, we would like to congratulate this year's scholarship recipients," said Andrea Williams, President of the McLendon Foundation and Chief Experience Officer of the NBA's Utah Jazz. "Coach McLendon believed deeply in the value of education, and we are proud to honor his legacy by supporting the continued educational pursuits of these eight future leaders."

The 2023 John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship recipients are:

Through the support of the Fiesta Bowl's endowment commitment to the Foundation, a McLendon Foundation Minority Postgraduate Scholarship is awarded each year to a student associated with an Arizona-based four-year institution. The McLendon Scholarship, presented by the Fiesta Bowl, is being awarded to Deontre Winston II, who plans to pursue a graduate degree from Arizona State University.

"Education has long been the key to unlocking the dreams and aspirations of millions of Americans. The Fiesta Bowl Organization is honored to help provide students from underrepresented populations the opportunity to advance their academic careers through the McLendon Foundation Minority Postgraduate Scholarship," said Erik Moses, Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO. "We are pleased to support Deontre Winston II in the next stage of his academic journey."

The McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship 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); Capital One; and Sears, Roebuck and Co. As of the 2022-23 academic year, the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program has awarded over 130 scholarships, totaling over $1.4 million.

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

Bighorn earned a bachelor's degree in physical education plus health from University of Kansas (KU) in May 2022. Currently, Bighorn is a graduate student at Kansas pursuing a sport management degree. He represents the University of Kansas athletics as a yell leader on the spirit squad and is the first LoneBear/H. Roe Bartle Rotational Intern for the Kansas City Chiefs. Bighorn was awarded the Jack Wolfe Memorial Award and was nominated to present the student remarks at the School of Education and Human Sciences Convocation. The First Nations Student Association has selected Bighorn as co-chair for the past two academic years. His end goal is to return home to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Montana to provide opportunities and knowledge to the youth and community. Before receiving his undergraduate degree, Bighorn achieved his associate degree and graduated with a 3.8 GPA from Montana State University-Billings.

Eggleston completed a bachelor of arts degree in business management in 2022 from the University of Texas at Austin. She has been a member of the Texas volleyball team for five years and served as a captain for three seasons. During her time as a student-athlete, Eggleston also served as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two consecutive years. The committee created initiatives known as the DNA Fund, which raised money to buy sporting equipment and fund sporting opportunities for underprivileged youth in the Austin area, and the LEAD Initiative, which allocates funds from the Texas athletics revenue to non-profits doing positive work for diverse communities in Austin. Eggleston is interested in pursuing the Sports Management Master's Program at the University of Texas at Austin because she believes this degree will help prepare her for a role in collegiate sports administration.

Fisher earned a bachelor of arts degree in strategic communication from The Ohio State University in May 2022, where he was a men's lacrosse student-athlete and an Academic All-Big 10 honoree. While at Ohio State, Fisher also served as president and Big 10 representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Currently, Fisher is headed into his second year of the Master of Science in Sport Management program at the University of Florida. He works within student-athlete development at Florida as the assistant coordinator of Gators experience and recently accepted a role with the Post-Graduate Internship Program at the NCAA.

Moser received a bachelor of arts degree in sport management from Baldwin Wallace University in May 2021. During her time as an undergraduate, she worked as a human resources intern at Duke University, developing strategies implemented to help keep employees engaged during the pandemic and created a housing guide for new hires to help with relocation to Durham. Moser also spent time as a business and finance intern with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Moser is currently pursuing a master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University.

Smith earned a bachelor of science degree in health and exercise science at Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) in May 2023, where she graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors. During her time as an undergraduate, she served as a student athletic trainer for the football sports medicine staff, gaining numerous hours of field experience and patient care. In 2022, she was selected as a cohort member of the NFL HBCU Experienceship Program as well as The Black Sport Business Academy. Smith plans to pursue a master of science in athletic training from The University of Alabama with an anticipated graduation date of May 2025.

Townes earned a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in May 2023, where she was All-Academic Big Ten and Second Team All-Big Ten as a member of the women's gymnastics team. Townes was also selected as an Executive Board member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) while at Illinois. In addition, she has served as a coach for USA Gymnastics and is founder of a streetwear brand, Uptowne Creations. Townes plans to pursue a masters in strategic brand communication.

Winston II received a bachelor of arts degree in sports business from Arizona State University (ASU) in May 2023. During his time as an undergraduate, he was an active member of African American Men at ASU (AAMASU) and served as president and dean of membership for Mu Eta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Winston II also participated in the 2021 Arizona Diamondbacks for Change Mentorship Program, the 2022 Marcus Graham Project with the Phoenix Suns and the 2022-23 RISE Super Bowl Leadership Program. Winston II is interested in pursuing a masters in sports law and business from Arizona State.

Wynne graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor of science degree in strategic communications in May 2023, where she was a softball student-athlete and a two-time All-Big 12 Conference selection. In addition, she was named to the NFCA All-Region Second Team, academic honor roll and a four-time First Team All-Academic Big 12 honoree. While at Oklahoma State, she served as the Big 12 Conference representative for the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was president/vice president for Oklahoma State University SAAC. Wynne plans to pursue a masters in sport and fitness administration.

About the Fiesta Bowl: The Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans. As a nonprofit organization, it believes in the importance of community outreach and service. Through charitable giving, the organization strives to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that contribute to the success of communities through youth, sports and education. Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has worked to increase its footprint across the state and work to benefit Arizonans year-round, during and outside of bowl season.

About NACDA: Now in its 58th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts five major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.

About the McLendon Foundation: The McLendon Foundation, established in 1999, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded and administered by NACDA. Through the scholarship program and leadership initiative, the McLendon Foundation provides minorities educational resources, practical experiences and serves as a vehicle for networking, career advancement and advocacy on behalf of the profession. More information regarding the McLendon Foundation can be found at minorityleaders.org.