NCAA profiles new tennis pro Ryan Thacher, winner of a postgraduate scholarship

The National Collegiate Athletic Association recently posted a profile of Stanford graduate and tennis star RYAN THACHER, who turned professional in July.

Thacher is a winner of a $7,500 NCAA postgraduate scholarship. The scholarships are awarded to accomplished student-athletes. According to the profile, Thacher, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history in March, hopes to become a doctor after he ends his professional tennis career. Thacher decided on a career in medicine after shadowing a doctor as part of the Stanford Immersion in Medicine Series.

The NCAA awards 174 postgraduate scholarships annually – 29 per gender for participants in fall, winter and spring sports. To qualify, student-athletes must excel academically and athletically, be at least in their final year of eligibility and plan to pursue graduate study. Student-athletes must also maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average and be nominated by their institution’s faculty athletics representative. Created in 1964, NCAA postgraduate scholarships promote and encourage education.

Thacher will devote himself to professional tennis for a year. Late next summer, he plans to evaluate his progress, gauge his potential and decide whether to continue with the sport or begin pursuing a career in medicine.

Read the NCAA online profile.