March 22, 2018
FAIRFAX, Va. - San Diego State senior rower Tara Montgomery has been named a 2018 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar team honoree, Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine recently announced. Montgomery receives the honor for a consecutive year after being named the women's rowing recipient in 2017.
Montgomery was selected as one of the 34 student-athletes included in this year's special report and was chosen from more than 1,200 nominated minority student-athletes across the nation. The award recognizes student-athletes who have excelled in academics, in their sport and through involvement on campus and in the community.
"Tara is a great example of the people on the rowing team as well as all other SDSU athletic department teams," head rowing coach Bill Zack said. "Her academic success and community service involvement, which helped her to earn the Arthur Ashe award again, have also resulted in acceptances at some very prestigious schools for a master's degree in social work. It will be exciting to follow Tara's success once she graduates and continues to achieve great things in her life."
In order to be eligible for the award, student-athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2, be an active member of an intercollegiate athletic team throughout the 2017-18 school year and must be active on their campus or in the community.
During her time at SDSU, the senior has been a member of the rowing team's first and second varsity eight crews as a starboard rower. Montgomery was named an American Athletic Conference All-Academic honoree following both the 2016-17 and 2015-16 seasons.
Montgomery was also a crew member of both of SDSU's boats to earn the only two AAC weekly honors since it joined the conference. In May of 2017, Montgomery raced in the second varsity eight boat named AAC Boat of the Week in May of 2017 following its two wins on Lake Natoma at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships, as well as the Aztecs' first-ever varsity eight boat to be named AAC Boat of the Week following a stellar sweep of Sacramento State during the 2015-16 season.
Montgomery is currently majoring in psychology with a minor in counseling and social change, and intends to pursue a Ph.D. in social work or clinical psychology with an emphasis in forensic psychology. Following her senior season, she will continue her education for a Master's in social work and has been accepted to the programs at both UCLA and University of California, Berkeley. Her career aspirations include working in the juvenile system in the area of mental health and aiding the restructuring of the prison system.
Beyond her role as student-athlete on the Mesa, Montgomery has been active in the community and currently interns with San Diego County Probation office as a Correctional Counselor. She also serves as a mentor for the Alliance for HOPE International and has worked with the Community Research Foundation with adults with mental illness and those at risk for mental illness.
In addition to Montgomery, recent Aztec team honorees include Natilee Ruiz (swimming & diving), Nika Sedghi (water polo) and Paul Pitts (football), who was also selected as the 2016 Male Sports Scholar of the Year. A full list of 2018 team winners will be announced on April 5 when the special report is published in Diverse. More information about the award, including a list of past winners, can be found at www.diverseeducation.com/ashe.