Trio of Demon Deacons Awarded ACC Accolades
2/26/2024 11:59:00 AM | Football, General, Men's Soccer
Brooke Killingsworth (women’s tennis) and Garrison Tubbs (men’s soccer) earned the prestigious ACC postgraduate scholarship honor from the conference office while Killingsworth and Michael Jurgens (football) were named ACC Excellence Award recipients.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference revealed its 2024 Postgraduate Scholarship recipients on Monday (Feb. 26), and Wake Forest saw two of its programs represented on the yearly list. Brooke Killingsworth (women's tennis) and Garrison Tubbs (men's soccer) attained honors from the conference. Additionally, the league announced its 2024 ACC Excellence Award (formerly called Honorary Scholarship nominees) list where Killingsworth and three-time football captain Michael Jurgens were honored.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree after completing their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $9,000 toward his or her graduate education, an increase from $6,000 in previous years following a vote of the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs).
Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community and were chosen by a vote of the league's FARs at the ACC Winter Meetings.
"Once again, this year's class of ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipients represents all that is right in collegiate athletics," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "The student-athletes in the ACC continue to set the bar when it comes to academics and athletics, which is no more evident than with this group of incredible 51 student-athletes. The dedication and commitment to excellence both in competition and in the classroom is remarkable. The future is extremely bright for all of these incredible student-athletes, and we look forward to continuing to support them."
"Congratulations to these two incredible ACC postgraduate scholarship recipients," said Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Peter Brubaker. "Garrison, Brooke and Michael showcase the best of being a student-athlete at Wake Forest University and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments both academically and athletically. We look forward to following their future successes as they move ahead in their respective careers."
"With over 10,000 student-athletes across the Atlantic Coast Conference, I can think of no more three deserving honorees than Garrison Tubbs, Brooke Killingsworth and Michael Jurgens," director of athletics John Currie said. "These student-athletes personify the Pro Humanitate motto of our University and have excelled in the classroom and in their respective sports over the course of their Demon Deacon careers. I am so grateful to our Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Peter Brubaker as he helped select these well-deserving members of our community for this prestigious honor."
To be eligible for ACC Postgraduate Scholarships, nominees must have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically with an overall minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent. The student-athlete must have completed at least seven semesters and complete their baccalaureate degree, at an ACC institution, prior to receiving the postgraduate scholarship, and performed with distinction as a member of a varsity team specifically represented by local, conference, regional and/or national athletic recognition. The nominees also must have conducted themselves, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to themselves, their institution, intercollegiate athletics, and the ideals and objectives of higher education.
The ACC has selected postgraduate scholarship recipients annually since 1971. Over that time, the league has provided nearly $4.7 million to more than 1,000 ACC student-athletes.
Each member institution may nominate a maximum of two candidates to be eligible for the postgraduate scholarship awards. Institutions are recommended to nominate a student-athlete from one men's and one women's sport.
Student-athletes nominated for the ACC Excellence Award are also eligible for the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship.
This year's class of postgraduate scholarship recipients will be highlighted in a one-hour show on ACC Network that will air in May.
Brooke Killingsworth | Rogers, Ark. | Health & Exercise Science
The senior doubles specialist is in the midst of her fourth campaign with the Demon Deacons. She ranks fourth in program history in doubles wins by a duo while partnered with Anna Brylin. The pair won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championship on Oct. 10, 2021 and became the first Wake Forest pair to do so. That same season, Killingsworth earned ITA Doubles All-American, All-ACC Academic Team selection, ACC Academic Honor Roll and ITA Scholar-Athlete honors. With Brylin in doubles, she was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation during the 2021 campaign. This season, she recently earned ACC Doubles team of the Week with Marcella Cruz as her partner. The duo is on a four-match win-streak, including a victory over No. 27 Akli/Lancelot of South Carolina (6-3).
Garrison Tubbs | Brunswick, Ga. | Finance
Tubbs was a mainstay for the Demon Deacons during his four seasons in Winston-Salem, as he was a four-year starter and two-time captain for a Wake Forest squad that extended the ACC's best NCAA Tournament appearances streak. As a senior in 2023, he earned numerous athletic and academic honors including being named a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American, United Soccer Coaches first-team Scholar All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist.
He graduated from Wake Forest with his degree in finance in December 2023.
Michael Jurgens | Damascus, Md. | B.S.; MBA; Project Management Certificate
Wake Forest redshirt senior offensive lineman Michael Jurgens was named William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist for the second consecutive season in 2023 becoming the first individual in the history of this prestigious award to earn that distinction. He also earned All-American honors bt Phil Steele and has many All-ACC accolades over the course of his memorable career.
Academically after graduating Magna Cum Laude while also earning a place on the Dean's List on three different occasions during his undergraduate career, he finished his Masters of Business, becoming just the second Wake Forest football student-athlete to do so in the MBA program, joining Eric Osteen. He completed Project Management - Certificate which is one of the hardest certificate programs on campus in December as well.
About the Weaver-James-Corrigan Award
The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver, Bob James, and Gene Corrigan, the first three ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954-70 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Robert C. James, a former Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served in that capacity for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.
Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.
Before 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were awarded as separate honors, including the Jim Weaver Award, the Marie James Award, and the Bob James Award.
About the ACC Excellence Award
The ACC Excellence Award recognizes outstanding graduates from our ACC member institutions. The goal of the award is to highlight the students embodying the student-athlete ideal. The brand of the ACC is our strong history of providing world-class education and competition. The awardees are exemplary students, athletes, and contributors to the community and society and serve as an example to their fellow students.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree after completing their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $9,000 toward his or her graduate education, an increase from $6,000 in previous years following a vote of the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs).
Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community and were chosen by a vote of the league's FARs at the ACC Winter Meetings.
"Once again, this year's class of ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipients represents all that is right in collegiate athletics," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "The student-athletes in the ACC continue to set the bar when it comes to academics and athletics, which is no more evident than with this group of incredible 51 student-athletes. The dedication and commitment to excellence both in competition and in the classroom is remarkable. The future is extremely bright for all of these incredible student-athletes, and we look forward to continuing to support them."
"Congratulations to these two incredible ACC postgraduate scholarship recipients," said Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Peter Brubaker. "Garrison, Brooke and Michael showcase the best of being a student-athlete at Wake Forest University and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments both academically and athletically. We look forward to following their future successes as they move ahead in their respective careers."
"With over 10,000 student-athletes across the Atlantic Coast Conference, I can think of no more three deserving honorees than Garrison Tubbs, Brooke Killingsworth and Michael Jurgens," director of athletics John Currie said. "These student-athletes personify the Pro Humanitate motto of our University and have excelled in the classroom and in their respective sports over the course of their Demon Deacon careers. I am so grateful to our Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Peter Brubaker as he helped select these well-deserving members of our community for this prestigious honor."
To be eligible for ACC Postgraduate Scholarships, nominees must have distinguished themselves both academically and athletically with an overall minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent. The student-athlete must have completed at least seven semesters and complete their baccalaureate degree, at an ACC institution, prior to receiving the postgraduate scholarship, and performed with distinction as a member of a varsity team specifically represented by local, conference, regional and/or national athletic recognition. The nominees also must have conducted themselves, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to themselves, their institution, intercollegiate athletics, and the ideals and objectives of higher education.
The ACC has selected postgraduate scholarship recipients annually since 1971. Over that time, the league has provided nearly $4.7 million to more than 1,000 ACC student-athletes.
Each member institution may nominate a maximum of two candidates to be eligible for the postgraduate scholarship awards. Institutions are recommended to nominate a student-athlete from one men's and one women's sport.
Student-athletes nominated for the ACC Excellence Award are also eligible for the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship.
This year's class of postgraduate scholarship recipients will be highlighted in a one-hour show on ACC Network that will air in May.
Brooke Killingsworth | Rogers, Ark. | Health & Exercise Science
The senior doubles specialist is in the midst of her fourth campaign with the Demon Deacons. She ranks fourth in program history in doubles wins by a duo while partnered with Anna Brylin. The pair won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championship on Oct. 10, 2021 and became the first Wake Forest pair to do so. That same season, Killingsworth earned ITA Doubles All-American, All-ACC Academic Team selection, ACC Academic Honor Roll and ITA Scholar-Athlete honors. With Brylin in doubles, she was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation during the 2021 campaign. This season, she recently earned ACC Doubles team of the Week with Marcella Cruz as her partner. The duo is on a four-match win-streak, including a victory over No. 27 Akli/Lancelot of South Carolina (6-3).
Garrison Tubbs | Brunswick, Ga. | Finance
Tubbs was a mainstay for the Demon Deacons during his four seasons in Winston-Salem, as he was a four-year starter and two-time captain for a Wake Forest squad that extended the ACC's best NCAA Tournament appearances streak. As a senior in 2023, he earned numerous athletic and academic honors including being named a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American, United Soccer Coaches first-team Scholar All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist.
He graduated from Wake Forest with his degree in finance in December 2023.
Michael Jurgens | Damascus, Md. | B.S.; MBA; Project Management Certificate
Wake Forest redshirt senior offensive lineman Michael Jurgens was named William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist for the second consecutive season in 2023 becoming the first individual in the history of this prestigious award to earn that distinction. He also earned All-American honors bt Phil Steele and has many All-ACC accolades over the course of his memorable career.
Academically after graduating Magna Cum Laude while also earning a place on the Dean's List on three different occasions during his undergraduate career, he finished his Masters of Business, becoming just the second Wake Forest football student-athlete to do so in the MBA program, joining Eric Osteen. He completed Project Management - Certificate which is one of the hardest certificate programs on campus in December as well.
About the Weaver-James-Corrigan Award
The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver, Bob James, and Gene Corrigan, the first three ACC commissioners. The league's first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954-70 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.
Robert C. James, a former Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served in that capacity for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.
Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan's tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.
Before 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were awarded as separate honors, including the Jim Weaver Award, the Marie James Award, and the Bob James Award.
About the ACC Excellence Award
The ACC Excellence Award recognizes outstanding graduates from our ACC member institutions. The goal of the award is to highlight the students embodying the student-athlete ideal. The brand of the ACC is our strong history of providing world-class education and competition. The awardees are exemplary students, athletes, and contributors to the community and society and serve as an example to their fellow students.
.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
Defender
/ Men's SoccerWake Forest Football | Georgia Tech Trailer
Friday, September 26
Football Media Availability (9/24/25)
Wednesday, September 24
Football Media Availability (9/23/25)
Tuesday, September 23
Wake Forest Football Head Coach Jake Dickert Press Conference (Week 5)
Tuesday, September 23