Poughkeepsie, NY - Vassar College Field Hockey graduate Cristina Lopez '20 was named as one of just 21 female fall sports student-athletes across all three NCAA divisions to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as announced by the NCAA on March 11. Lopez becomes the first Vassar student-athlete in school history to receive this prestigious $10,000 NCAA scholarship.

"My time at Vassar was filled with incredible relationships with teammates, friends, professors, and peers", said Lopez. "My time with the field hockey team especially taught me so much about the importance of having a strong work ethic and putting 100% effort into things you feel passionate about. I think these are lessons that have stuck with me as I've continued my education and have learned more about myself and the things I really care about. To this day I am still in touch with professors, friends, and teammates from Vassar, and have found that the Vassar community is unlike any other. During challenging moments I continue to lean on many of the lessons I learned while at Vassar, such as time management and the importance of having a strong support system and community around you."

Lopez started all 68 games played during her time as a Brewer as she concluded her four-year career with 14 goals and 24 assists for 52 career points. Lopez also scored six career game-winning goals, which ranks tied for fourth in program history, along with ranking second in program history in assists with 24. Lopez's 10 assists in 2019 put her third in school history in a single season and her 0.35 assists per game ranked her tied for second all-time. Lopez's eight career defensive saves puts her tied for 10th in school history and her six defensive saves in 2019 tie her for ninth in a single season all-time.

"During her time at Vassar, Cristina epitomized what it meant to be a scholar-athlete, excelling in the classroom and earning All-American honors on the field", said Director of Athletics and Physical Education Michelle Walsh. "I am thrilled that she will be able to continue her postgraduate education with help from the NCAA. We can't wait to see what she does next!"

Lopez finished her career with four straight All-Liberty League selections as she was named a Second Team honoree as a first year and a sophomore followed by back-to-back First Team honors as a junior and a senior. Lopez was named a NFHCA North Atlantic All-Region First Team selection in both 2018 and 2019 and then earned her first NFHCA Second Team All-American selection as a senior in 2019. Lopez was selected to the NFHCA Division III Senior Game following her incredible senior campaign and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team selection in 2019. Lopez was honored as a Liberty League All-Academic Team selection all three seasons that she was eligible for the honor.

Lopez also said, "This scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me, and will allow me to put more time and attention into my studies. Throughout my first year of grad school I have been working two part time jobs to help cover tuition and other expenses, so having financial support in the final year of my education is something for which I am extremely grateful. I am currently working towards getting my Masters in Social Work, and am hoping to become a school social worker after graduation. I feel very excited about joining the field and the work I will be doing, so I am really looking forward to being able to dedicate more time to dive deeper into my studies and be able to serve my future clients better."

Lopez also was honored as the Vassar College Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 2020 and was a two-time MVP of the historic Betty Richey Tournament held at Vassar. Lopez helped Vassar to its first-ever Liberty League Championship in 2018 when the Brewers defeated Rochester in the championship game at Weinberg Field. Vassar finished that season with an 18-2 overall record and a perfect 7-0 in Liberty League play and both of those marks are the highest win totals in a season for the Field Hockey program. Vassar reached as high as sixth nationally in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually. The scholarships are split evenly between men and women for participants in fall, winter and spring sports. Each student-athlete receives a grant of $10,000. To qualify, student-athletes must excel academically and athletically, be in their final year of eligibility and plan to pursue graduate study. Student-athletes must also maintain at least a 3.2 grade point average and be nominated by their institution's faculty athletics representative. Created in 1964, NCAA postgraduate scholarships promote and encourage education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes.