Photo by: ©WFU/Ken Bennett
Trio of Demon Deacons Awarded as ACC Scholarship Recipients
2/23/2022 2:00:00 PM | General
Three Wake Forest student-athletes received high recognition from the conference office on Wednesday.
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference revealed its 2022 Postgraduate Scholarship recipients on Wednesday (Feb. 23), and Wake Forest saw three of its programs represented on the yearly list.
Anya Brylin (women's tennis), Zach Facioni (men's cross country/track and field), and Shayla Smart (women's soccer) all attained honors from the conference.
The postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who hold intentions on pursuing a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $6,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
The 2022 class of postgraduate scholarship recipients will be highlighted in a one-hour show on ACC Network that will air in May.
"Congratulations to this year's incredible ACC postgraduate scholarship recipients," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "Each one of these individuals represents what's best in college athletics, and I'm extremely proud of their amazing accomplishments thus far. We look forward to following what is sure to be a meaningful and successful future as they move ahead in their respective careers."
"We are extremely proud of Anya, Zach and Shayla for how they represent our University in competition, but more importantly in the classroom and in the community," director of athletics John Currie said. "Each year, this program proudly reminds us of the outstanding commitment to academic excellence by young men and women across the Atlantic Coast Conference."
Anna Brylin | Women's Tennis | Senior | Short Hills, N.J. | Finance
Playing in her fourth year as a Deac, Brylin has enjoyed plenty of standout moments with the Black and Old Gold throughout her career. She currently leads the team in singles wins for the 2022 season, holding an undefeated record of 6-0. Recently, the senior notched her 100th win in doubles during a 4-3 victory over South Carolina, becoming the 45th player in program history to surpass 100 wins in either singles or doubles.
This past fall, Brylin teamed up with Brooke Killingsworth to take home the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championship on Oct. 10, 2021, becoming the first Wake Forest duo to achieve such a feat. The pair is currently listed ninth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) doubles rankings.
Another impressive career moment involved Brylin taking down No. 20 Meg Kowalski of Georgia in singles last May. The Short Hills, N.J. native is a two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree and earned an ITA Scholar-Athlete nod from the 2021 season.
Zach Facioni | Men's Cross Country/Track and Field | Senior | Sydney, Australia | Economics
Senior Facioni captured his second All-America accolade at the 2021 Cross Country National Championship meet with his 19th-place finish in a time of 29:19.2. He is the first Demon Deacon to earn back-to-back Cross Country All-America accolades, and is just the fourth student-athlete to garner Cross Country All-America accolades.
The Sydney, Australia native, has been named to seven All-ACC teams, seven ACC Academic teams, three USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic teams and ACC Freshman of the Year. He owns three school records (Indoor - 5000m, Outdoor - 1500m, Outdoor - 5000m) and sits in the top-5 in two other events (Indoor - Mile and Indoor - 3000m).
Shayla Smart | Women's Soccer | Senior | Apopka, Fla. | Health and Exercise Science
One of the most potent scorers in the ACC last season, Smart finished the season with 11 goals and three assists, ranking seventh in the ACC with 25 points. She suited up in all 22 matches and finished the season tied for seventh most goals in program history in a single season. Smart's efforts earned her All-Region, All-ACC, and ACC All-Academic selections.
Anya Brylin (women's tennis), Zach Facioni (men's cross country/track and field), and Shayla Smart (women's soccer) all attained honors from the conference.
The postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who hold intentions on pursuing a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $6,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
The 2022 class of postgraduate scholarship recipients will be highlighted in a one-hour show on ACC Network that will air in May.
"Congratulations to this year's incredible ACC postgraduate scholarship recipients," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "Each one of these individuals represents what's best in college athletics, and I'm extremely proud of their amazing accomplishments thus far. We look forward to following what is sure to be a meaningful and successful future as they move ahead in their respective careers."
"We are extremely proud of Anya, Zach and Shayla for how they represent our University in competition, but more importantly in the classroom and in the community," director of athletics John Currie said. "Each year, this program proudly reminds us of the outstanding commitment to academic excellence by young men and women across the Atlantic Coast Conference."
Anna Brylin | Women's Tennis | Senior | Short Hills, N.J. | Finance
Playing in her fourth year as a Deac, Brylin has enjoyed plenty of standout moments with the Black and Old Gold throughout her career. She currently leads the team in singles wins for the 2022 season, holding an undefeated record of 6-0. Recently, the senior notched her 100th win in doubles during a 4-3 victory over South Carolina, becoming the 45th player in program history to surpass 100 wins in either singles or doubles.
This past fall, Brylin teamed up with Brooke Killingsworth to take home the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championship on Oct. 10, 2021, becoming the first Wake Forest duo to achieve such a feat. The pair is currently listed ninth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) doubles rankings.
Another impressive career moment involved Brylin taking down No. 20 Meg Kowalski of Georgia in singles last May. The Short Hills, N.J. native is a two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree and earned an ITA Scholar-Athlete nod from the 2021 season.
Zach Facioni | Men's Cross Country/Track and Field | Senior | Sydney, Australia | Economics
Senior Facioni captured his second All-America accolade at the 2021 Cross Country National Championship meet with his 19th-place finish in a time of 29:19.2. He is the first Demon Deacon to earn back-to-back Cross Country All-America accolades, and is just the fourth student-athlete to garner Cross Country All-America accolades.
The Sydney, Australia native, has been named to seven All-ACC teams, seven ACC Academic teams, three USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic teams and ACC Freshman of the Year. He owns three school records (Indoor - 5000m, Outdoor - 1500m, Outdoor - 5000m) and sits in the top-5 in two other events (Indoor - Mile and Indoor - 3000m).
Shayla Smart | Women's Soccer | Senior | Apopka, Fla. | Health and Exercise Science
One of the most potent scorers in the ACC last season, Smart finished the season with 11 goals and three assists, ranking seventh in the ACC with 25 points. She suited up in all 22 matches and finished the season tied for seventh most goals in program history in a single season. Smart's efforts earned her All-Region, All-ACC, and ACC All-Academic selections.
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