Four UW Student-Athletes Named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars
SEATTLE – University of Washington student-athletes Venise Chan (women’s tennis), Jill Collymore
(volleyball), Faustine Dufka (women’s soccer) and Brent Richards (men’s soccer) were named 2010
Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars, the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education announced in its April
29 issue.
The Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards were established to honor undergraduate students of color who
have outstanding achievements in academic and athletic performance, as well as community activism. To
be included, students must compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade-point average
of at least 3.2, and be active on their campuses or in their communities. The awards were inspired by tennis
legend Arthur Ashe Jr. and his commitment to education and love for the game of tennis. The Arthur Ashe
Jr. Sports Scholar Awards have been presented since 1995.
Venise Chan
Chan is a junior from Hong Kong, China and has a 3.7 grade point average in business administration. She
recently completed an outstanding 2009-10 campaign that saw her earn her first career All-America honor
and advance to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championship. Chan was named to the All-Pac-10
first-team for the second-straight year after earning second-team acclaim as a freshman. She was also
tabbed to the Pac-10 All-Academic first-team during her sophomore year.
A senior from Bellevue, Wash., Collymore holds a 3.78 grade point average and is majoring in psychology
and digital arts and experimental media. She finished her career as one of the most impressive all-around
athletes to emerge from the UW women’s volleyball program. In her final season, Collymore was named
the Pac-10 Scholar Athlete of the Year and was tabbed to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America
second-team, the Academic All-District VIII team and the Pac-10 All-Academic first-team. Her 54 aces tied
for third-most in a single season in school history and she wrapped her career with the fifth-most aces in
school history, totaling 129.
Dufka is a sophomore from San Francisco, Calif., and has a 3.68 grade point average in anthropology. She
is a two-year member of the women’s soccer team, helping the Huskies as far as the second round of the
NCAA Championship this past fall. As a freshman, Dufka appeared in 12 games, including eight of the last
nine, and was one of seven freshmen to see playing time. She is fluent in French and in high school won
the Lucille Meyer Award for a strong bilingual academic record in French and American studies.
Jill Collymore
Faustine Dufka
A sophomore from Camas, Wash., Richards is a pre-major in arts and sciences and has a 3.64 grade
point average. The Huskies’ scoring leader his first two seasons, Richards earned All-Pac-10 second-team
honors and Pac-10 All-Academic acclaim in 2009. He was tabbed to the ESPN The Magazine Academic
All-District VIII first-team as well. As a freshman, Richards earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention team acclaim after scoring a team-high eight goals.
- Photos courtesy of UW Athletic Communications
Brent Richards