Ava Morales, Mitchell Lloyd Awarded Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarships
6/24/2026 3:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse, Women's Soccer, Terrapin Athletics
Two recent Terp grads will be taking the next steps of their professional lives with the backing of the Big Ten Conference.
COLLEGE PARK, MD — Two Maryland graduate student-athletes were recently awarded Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarships, the conference announced on Wednesday.
Women's soccer's Ava Morales and men's lacrosse's Mitchell Lloyd are this year's two recipients from the University of Maryland. Both graduates will receive funding from the Big Ten Conference as they pursue the next chapters in their professional lives.
Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarships are awarded to 36 students competing in intercollegiate athletics every academic year. Each Big Ten Conference institution annually presents one male and one female with one-time postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each.
Lloyd and Morales were both selected primarily based on their outstanding academic achievements and excellence in the classroom.
After graduating with a 3.909 GPA and a degree in Biological Sciences: Physiology and Neurobiology, Morales will be taking the next steps toward working in the medical field, a path she's long dreamed of.
"I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare," Morales said. "Both of my parents are doctors, and I kind of always wanted to go down that path. Once I got to Maryland, I started to really enjoy the biology classes, so I stuck with it all the way through."
Morales is studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to propel her into medical school, and hopes to eventually return to College Park to work with the next wave of student-athletes as a sports medicine team physician.
Lloyd balanced an impressive collegiate lacrosse career with a demanding kinesiology degree during his time in College Park. He'll be headed to graduate school at the University of South Carolina to earn a master's degree in exercise science and working to help cancer patients with improving their mental and physical health through exercise.
"With everything that comes with chemotherapy and cancer treatments, so many patients are fighting fatigue," Lloyd said. "Their bodies are just fighting against them, and sometimes it's hard to not just sit there and feel terrible, but being able to use exercise as a conduit to help the body balance its energy source and allow patients to feel better."
Both Morales and Lloyd have bright futures ahead of them and with the support of the Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarships, their professional journeys are only just beginning.
Women's soccer's Ava Morales and men's lacrosse's Mitchell Lloyd are this year's two recipients from the University of Maryland. Both graduates will receive funding from the Big Ten Conference as they pursue the next chapters in their professional lives.
Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarships are awarded to 36 students competing in intercollegiate athletics every academic year. Each Big Ten Conference institution annually presents one male and one female with one-time postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each.
Lloyd and Morales were both selected primarily based on their outstanding academic achievements and excellence in the classroom.
After graduating with a 3.909 GPA and a degree in Biological Sciences: Physiology and Neurobiology, Morales will be taking the next steps toward working in the medical field, a path she's long dreamed of.
"I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare," Morales said. "Both of my parents are doctors, and I kind of always wanted to go down that path. Once I got to Maryland, I started to really enjoy the biology classes, so I stuck with it all the way through."
Morales is studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to propel her into medical school, and hopes to eventually return to College Park to work with the next wave of student-athletes as a sports medicine team physician.
Lloyd balanced an impressive collegiate lacrosse career with a demanding kinesiology degree during his time in College Park. He'll be headed to graduate school at the University of South Carolina to earn a master's degree in exercise science and working to help cancer patients with improving their mental and physical health through exercise.
"With everything that comes with chemotherapy and cancer treatments, so many patients are fighting fatigue," Lloyd said. "Their bodies are just fighting against them, and sometimes it's hard to not just sit there and feel terrible, but being able to use exercise as a conduit to help the body balance its energy source and allow patients to feel better."
Both Morales and Lloyd have bright futures ahead of them and with the support of the Big Ten Conference Postgraduate Scholarships, their professional journeys are only just beginning.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerSunday, April 19
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Tuesday, February 17
