boynewicz-novotny socon postgrad scholars

Lacrosse

Boynewicz, Novotny receive SoCon postgraduate scholarships

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After four years of stellar performance both in competition and their field of study, VMI senior cadet-athletes James Boynewicz of lacrosse and Courtney Novotny of women's water polo have earned Southern Conference postgraduate scholarships, the league announced Thursday.
 
A testament to their athletic accomplishments, leadership and commitment to academic excellence, Boynewicz has earned the Bob McCloskey Insurance Scholarship and Novotny will receive the Presidential Scholarship. A total of 10 student-athletes across the league received the scholarships, all of which hold a value of $2,000 dollars. 

The recipients are nominated by their schools and selected by the Southern Conference Graduate Scholar Committee. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who intend to pursue advanced degrees in graduate or professional school. The student-athletes are evaluated on academics, athletics and community service.
 
The award money is eligible to be used between now and the 2029-30 academic year. Boynewicz will graduate in May with a 4.0 cumulative GPA in biology and a minor in chemistry while Novotny will also graduate with a degree in biology finishing her studies at VMI with a 3.88 GPA.


 
"Both scholarship recipients are prime examples of the term 'student-athlete,'" said VMI Faculty Athletics Representative Jay Johnson. "Their academic success coupled with their athletic endeavors is extremely impressive and noteworthy. We are proud of them, and they are both deserving of this postgraduate scholarship."
 
Boynewicz plans to attend a PA (physician assistant) school in the spring or fall of 2026 and Novotny will attend Radford University this fall to begin PA school.
 
Both Boynewicz and Novotny have served as team captains during their VMI tenures and have led their teams in several offensive or defensive categories. They also made their presence known in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and ranked in the Top 10 for multiple individual statistics in the league rankings. Boynewicz competed in the SoCon as a freshman in 2022 and in the Northeast Conference (NEC) as a senior in 2025.

This year's honorees include: Richard Johnson Scholarship recipient Maggie Jackson (Wofford); Dave Hart Scholarship recipient John Davis (Western Carolina); Bob McCloskey Insurance Scholarship recipients James Boynewicz (VMI) and Gracie Lynn Butler (Samford); Dorothy Hicks Scholarship recipient Kirsten Hahn (Western Carolina); and Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship recipients Jenna Forster and Abbey Thomas (ETSU), Courtney Novotny (VMI), Ali Ruffin (The Citadel) and Kate Morgan (Samford).

Complete SoCon release

 
James Boynewicz's academic accomplishments:
  • Faculty Scholarship for Merit: recognizes academic performance by rising first- and second-class cadets
  • 2024 SURI Fellowship (VMI's Summer Undergraduate Research Institute)
  • 2024 Award for Top Biology Cadet as a second classman
  • 2023 John Randolph Tucker Carmichael Award (third-class biology major)
  • 2022 Paul R. Meyer Award (fourth-class biology major)
  • 2021 Institute Honors Merit Scholarship
  • Number of SoCon, MAAC, VaSID and CSC academic honors
 
Courtney Novotny's academic accomplishments:
  • 2024: VMI 3-Legged Stool Award winner, given annually to the top VMI cadet-athlete who excels academically, militarily and athletically
  • 2021-25: 8x Dean's List recipient
  • 2021-25 Institute Honors Merit Scholarship
  • 2023 SURI Fellowship (VMI's Summer Undergraduate Research Institute)
  • 2023-25: Peay Full-Merit Scholarship
  • 2022-25: 4x MAAC All-Academic Team recipient
  • 2023-24: VaSID Academic All-State Team honors
  • 2023-24: ACWPC All-Academic Team
 
 
 
*All information provided within the press release was reviewed by Cadet Boynewicz and Cadet Novotny and approved for public knowledge







 
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Players Mentioned

Courtney Novotny

#4 Courtney Novotny

A
Senior
James Boynewicz

#9 James Boynewicz

D
6' 3"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Courtney Novotny

#4 Courtney Novotny

Senior
A
James Boynewicz

#9 James Boynewicz

6' 3"
Senior
D