FAIRFAX, Va. – Cleveland State women's basketball senior Mariah White has been named a Top-10 Finalist for Diverse: Issues in Higher Education's Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars. Earlier this week, nearly 1,000 nominees were narrowed down to a men's top-10 and a women's top-10.

On the court, White leads the Vikings and the Horizon League averaging 19.8 points per game, while she also has a league-best 44 steals on the year. Earlier this season, the senior was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, while also earning a spot on the All-League First Team and All-Tournament Team.

In the classroom, White is on track to graduate Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Math Education, carrying a 3.64 GPA.

Off the court, White is serving as the Cleveland State SAAC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair, and is an active participant in the Horizon League's #OneHL Working Group. White is also a member of the Cleveland State Athletics Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, serving as the student-athlete representative.

Both the men's and women's top-10 lists will be narrowed down to semifinalists, before one male and one female are chosen as the 2021 Sports Scholar of the Year.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education sponsors the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. Inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe Jr.'s commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis, sports scholars are selected based on their athletic ability, academic performance, and commitment to community service and student leadership.

White is also a top-10 finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, which takes into account student-athletes achievements in the four areas of community, classroom, character, and competition.