BATON ROUGE – After a successful four-year career on both the tennis courts and in the classroom, LSU men’s tennis senior Sebastian Carlsson has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship to continue his education, the association announced recently.
Carlsson, who ended his LSU career tied for 13th on the all-time singles wins list with 85 victories, was one of 58 student-athletes (29 male and 29 female) to earn a one-time, non-renewable grant of $7,500.
The scholarships are awarded annually to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
“Sebastian is a great example of an international student-athlete who came to the United States looking for something uniquely American: the combination of a top-level university education and top-level athletics competition,” LSU faculty athletics representative Dydia DeLyser said. “Given the opportunity of a scholarship at LSU he excelled in both areas, became a leader on his team and also maintained a commitment to community service. We can all be proud that a young man like Sebastian decided to come to LSU, and we can all be thrilled that this highly competitive scholarship will help him continue to pursue his academic dreams.”
The Uppsala, Sweden, native finished his senior season in style as he led the Tiger squad in both singles and doubles victories. He and doubles partner Neal Skupski finished the season with a 29-12 doubles record and advanced to the second-round of 2011 NCAA Doubles Championships.
The duo ended the year ranked No. 10 in the nation in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association doubles poll, earning the pair ITA Doubles All-America honors.
Off the courts, Carlsson is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete (2008, 2009, 2010) and also was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2009 and 2010. He currently holds a 3.773 cumulative GPA and is set to graduate in December with a degree in Biological Sciences.
“This is just another example of how balanced of a person Sebastian is,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “Not only excelling in athletic competitions but also taking care of his academics at the highest level. This is a great honor for him and for LSU.”
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the association’s most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in NCAA championship and/or emerging sports. Athletic and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership, are evaluated.
The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women.