May 4, 2018
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State senior women's tennis senior Paola Diaz de Regules received the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award, which honors student-athletes of color who exhibit excellence in academics and athletics, as well as community activism.
Candidates become eligible for the award by competing in an intercollegiate sport, maintaining a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2, and being an active member of the campus and greater community.
Diaz finished her senior season with Aztec women's tennis at the conference championships at the end of April, totaling a 54-58 career record in singles and competed in one of the top three spots in nearly every match over the course of her junior and senior seasons. Diaz is the only current Aztec senior with a career doubles record over .500, going 47-42 in doubles action in her four years on the Mesa.
Diaz earned her spot on the Ashe Award's women's tennis first team with a 4.0 semester, 3.89 cumulative GPA as an international security and conflict resolution major. She was also one of 15 Aztecs presented with the Malik Award at SDSU's 24th-annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet in April, an award honoring those who achieved the highest GPA in the fall and/or spring semester.
The publication Diverse: Issues In Higher Education sponsors the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards to honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Jr.'s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis, U.S. colleges and universities are invited to participate in this annual awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability and academic performance, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars demonstrate a commitment to community service and student leadership.