Eliason, Knol, Rayman and Skoler Honored by ACC
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today (Feb. 26) four Virginia student-athletes are among 51 from league institutions selected as 2024 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients and 2024 ACC Excellence Award honorees. That group includes Jack Eliason (men’s cross country/track and field), Anneloes Knol (field hockey), Jared Rayman (football) and Rebecca Skoler (women’s golf).
Eliason and Skoler are among the recipients of a Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Award Scholarship. The Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Award is named in honor of Jim Weaver, Bob James, Gene Corrigan and John Swofford, the first four ACC commissioners. Those scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree after completing their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $9,000 toward his or her graduate education. This year’s class of postgraduate scholarship recipients will be highlighted in a one-hour show on ACC Network that will air in May.
“The student-athletes in the ACC are amazing, and we are especially proud to honor this year’s class of ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipients that represent our 15 world-class institutions,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “The academic and athletic resumes of these 53 student-athletes are incredible, and we applaud their dedication and commitment to excellence. We look forward to continuing to support these tremendous individuals as they approach the future, which is incredibly bright for each of them.”
Eliason, an All-ACC distance runner, broke the four-minute mile barrier on his home track during the 2023 outdoor season, clocking a personal-best 3:59.64. In the same season, the junior finished fourth at the ACC Outdoor Championships, running 13:51.84 for 5000m to pick up important team points and qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary round. Eliason has competed in seven ACC Championships, including cross country, indoor and outdoor track. Majoring in American studies, Eliason has twice been named to the All-ACC Academic Team.
Skoler, who majored in public policy and leadership, is a senior on the Cavaliers’ 24th-ranked team who has been a regular in the UVA lineup the past three seasons. Last year she was one of the athletic department’s recipients of ACC Top Six for Service Award for work with local First Tee and Special Olympics programs. She is in her second year as president of the Virginia Student Athlete Advisory Council. In 2023, she was honored as UVA’s Distinguished Student-Athlete Scholarship Award winner at the Cavaliers’ annual all-sports awards program. She has been named to the All-ACC Academic team three times during her career.
Knol and Rayman are among the student-athletes who will receive the 2024 ACC Excellence Award. This new honorary award recognizes outstanding graduates from ACC member institutions. The goal of the award is to highlight students embodying the student-athlete ideal. The brand of the ACC is a strong history of providing world-class education and competition. The awardees are exemplary students, athletes and contributors to the community and society and serve as an example to their fellow students.
Knol played striker for four years for the UVA field hockey team, helping to lead the squad to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, including advancing to the NCAA semifinals her senior season. She appeared in 71 games in her four-year career with 18 starts, scoring three goals with six assists for 12 points. The commerce major is a four-time member of the NFHCA National Academic Squad and has been named to the All-ACC Academic Team each of her last two seasons. She was named an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction her freshman year.
Rayman, a quarterback and holder on special teams, majored in public policy and leadership at Virginia. He was named to the ACC All-Academic team for the second consecutive season in 2023 and a recipient of an ACC Top Six for Service Award his community service activities. Rayman was the recipient of the football program’s Cav Code Award in both 2022 and 2023. The is presented to a player committed to service and is an acronym for character, opportunity, duty and engagement. A former walk-on player, Rayman was awarded a scholarship for the 2023 season.