STANFORD, Calif. – Three Stanford student-athletes have been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for academic and athletic achievements: Aria Fischer (water polo), J.T. Herrscher (track & field) and Ethan Ng (golf).
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners receive a one-time grant of $10,000. In addition to maintaining at least a 3.2 grade-point average, they must perform with distinction in their sport and be nominated by their institution's faculty athletics representative. Stanford's overall total of NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipients is now 189, including six for the 2022-23 academic year.
A native of Laguna Beach, California, Fischer was recognized with the most high-profile honor of her career, having been named the 2023 Peter J. Cutino Award recipient as the top player in collegiate water polo. Fischer was also named the ACWPC Player of the Year, helping Stanford defeat USC 11-9 to secure its ninth NCAA title in school history and repeat for the first time since 2014-15. A three-time NCAA champion having also been a member of Stanford's 2019 NCAA title team, the two-time Olympic gold medalist closed out her career as a four-time ACWPC All-American, qualifying for the first team three times (2019, 2022-23) and the second team in 2018. Additionally, she was the Academic All-America At-Large Team Member of the Year.
Fischer graduated with a 4.01 GPA and will be attending the MetFilm School in London to pursue a Master of Arts in screenwriting. She previously served as an intern at the Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Herrscher wrapped up the 2023 campaign with a seventh-place result at the Pac-12 Championships in the pole vault, clearing a mark of 16-7 1/2 (5.07m). The result was the third in the top seven for the Rockwall, Texas native, who finished fifth in 2022 and second in 2021. Herrscher is a three-time selection to the Pac-12 honor roll, and he ranks ninth in Stanford's outdoor history with a mark of 17-1 3/4 (5.23).
Remaining on the Farm, Herrscher will be completing a co-term at Stanford in management science and engineering. He graduated with his undergraduate degree in astronautics and is interested in the cross section between space and entrepreneurship.
A member of Stanford's NCAA Championship team in 2019, Ng capped a strong senior season with a 71.51 scoring average and three top-10 finishes. A four-time Pac-12 honor roll selection, Ng led the Cardinal with a fourth-place result at 18 strokes under par at the 2023 NCAA Regional Championships, which was the best Regional performance ever by a Cardinal golfer.
Continuing his studies at Stanford, Ng will complete a co-term in communications with a concentration in media studies. He will be conducting research in Stanford's Social Media Lab. After graduating with his undergraduate degree in psychology and communications, Ng has the ultimate goal of becoming a sports psychologist.