Da Silva Named Runner-Up for Arthur Ashe Jr. Award
Apr 13, 2015 | Men's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha soccer standout Felipe da Silva has been named the first runner-up for the 2015 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award.
The annual award is sponsored by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education magazine and the NCAA, and the winners are profiled in current edition of the magazine. The finalists were chosen from more than 500 outstanding minority student-athletes nominated by their respective institutions.
“Felipe exemplifies the term student-athlete and has represented UNO with dignity and class throughout his academic and athletic career,” said head soccer coach Jason Mims.
Da Silva is a three-year letterman for the Omaha men's soccer team as a central defender, playing in 48 games for the Mavericks since 2012. For his career, da Silva has five goals and two assists. He was named to the All-Summit League first team in 2013 and to the second team in 2012 and 2014. He also was named to the All-Summit League Newcomer team in 2012. Da Silva graduated in December 2014 with a major in Finance and Investment. The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native was a three-time Summit League Academic Honor Roll member.
Da Silva's achievements outside of the realm of athletics are as impressive as when he is representing Omaha on the soccer pitch. He has been an active volunteer for the Scott Court/UV/Mav Move-in day, as well as several soccer clinics and the UNO Director's Cup golf tournament. Additionally, da Silva has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Children's Hospital & Medical Center. He also is active with Kidz Explore and Completely Kids.
“Felipe's charisma, determination and commitment have been a significant asset to the university, the community and our team,” Mims added. “I am very proud of Felipe for this achievement of being so highly considered for this distinguished award. It speaks very well of the kind of student-athletes that Omaha Athletics is recruiting and developing.”
The Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award was started in 1992 by Black Issues in Higher Education magazine, now Diverse, to honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.
To be nominated, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.20 and be active on campus and in the community. This year, the NCAA Office of Inclusion partnered with Diverse to present this standout class of scholar-athletes.
Past recipients of the award include: Baylor University's (2011) Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner; the University of Tennessee's (2003) Kara Lawson, ESPN analyst who played for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs; San Diego State University's (1993) Marshall Faulk, NFL Hall of Famer; and the University of Kansas' (1996) Jaque Vaughn, former head coach for the NBA's Orlando Magic.
