2024 Award Recipients

NASPSPA gives awards to scholars in recognition of contributions to research areas represented within NASPSPA and in recognition of significant contributions to the development and growth of NASPSPA. NASPSPA also provides awards to students in recognition of meritorious research, to support proposed research, and to encourage international research experiences. Please see the NASPSPA policy manual to view purpose, eligibility, nature, method of selection, criteria for selection, and additional guidelines for each award.

Dr. Jaclyn Maher
Dr. Jaclyn MaherEarly Career Distinguished Scholar Award
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Johannes Meyer et al.
Johannes Meyer et al.Excellence in Research Award (SEP)
Johannes Meyer et al. The Defender’s Vision-Gaze Behavior of One-on-One Defenders in Basketball.
doi: 10.1123/jsep.2021-0149.
Jeong Ah Kim et al.
Jeong Ah Kim et al.Excellence in Research Award (MLD)
Jeong Ah Kim et al. Quantifying Infant Exploratory Learning.
doi: 10.1123/jmld.2021-0029.
Garcia Ashdown-Franks
Garcia Ashdown-FranksExcellence in Reviewing Award (SEP)
University of Toronto
Kevin Becker
Kevin BeckerExcellence in Reviewing Award (MLD)
University of Tennesse Knoxville
Meredith Wekesser
Meredith WekesserOutstanding Student Paper Award (SEP)
Initial Validity Evidence for Modifying the Interpersonal Behaviors Questionnaire in Sport for Youth: A Mixed-Methods Explanatory Sequential Design
Jacquelyn Sertic
Jacquelyn SerticOutstanding Student Paper Award (ML)
Ankle Position Sense Acuity Does Not Decline in Physically Active Older Adults
Darice Brooks
Darice BrooksOutstanding Student Paper (MD)
“The club just kind of helps me reach goals I wouldn’t otherwise get to” – Exploring the Lived Experiences of People in Adapted Sports and Programming
Nikki Aitcheson-Huehn
Nikki Aitcheson-HuehnGraduate Student Research Grant
Evaluating the Effect of Physical and Informational Load on Visual-Motor Control in Ice Hockey
Samantha DuBois
Samantha DuBoisGraduate Student Research Grant
Acute Exercise and Hippocampal-Dependent Mnemonic Discrimination in Older Adults: An fMRI Investigation
Rachana Gangwani
Rachana GangwaniGraduate Student Research Grant
Determining the Role of Cognition in Post-Stroke Motor Recovery with Corticomuscular Coherence
Jacquelyn Sertic
Jacquelyn SerticGraduate Student Research Grant
The Link Between Ankle Proprioception and Muscle Rigidity in Parkinson’s Disease
Dr. Jane Clark
Dr. Jane ClarkPresident's Award
In recognition of her significant impact on the field by mentoring generations of young scholars across the globe
Dr. Penny McCullagh
Dr. Penny McCullaghPresident's Award
In recognition of over four decades of significant contributions to NASPSPA

Past Award Recipients

President’s Award

Year Recipient
2023 Penny McCullagh, Jane Clark
2022 Diane Mehling, Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Cheryl Glazebrook, Sheereen Harris, Maria Ayoub, Joao Barros, Erica Bennett, Yung-Ju ‘Ruth’ Chen, Harjiv Singh)
2021 NASPSPA 2020 Executive Committee (David Anderson, Catherine Sabiston, Chris Rhea, Anne Cox, Harjiv Singh, Jill Whitall, Penny McCullagh)
2020 Jenny O
2017 Kim Scott (Special)
2016 Jill Whitall
2015 Bernice Fischman
2014 Howard Zelaznik, Maureen R. Weiss
2013 Richard A. Schmidt
2012 Richard A. Magill
2011 Michael Wade
2009 Beverly Ulrich
2006 Jerry Thomas
2005 Daniel Landers
2002 T. Gilmour Reeve
1999 Jane Clark
1998 Penny McCullagh
1997 Robert Singer
1992 Rainer Martens
1991 Alfred Hubbard, Arthur Slater-Hammel

Distinguished Scholars

Year Recipient
2021 Charles Shea
2020 Janet Starkes
2019 Howard Zelaznik, Joan Duda
2018 Gaby Wulf
2017 Digby Elliot, Tim Lee
2016 Richard Magill, Maureen Weiss
2015 Deborah Feltz, Larry Brawley
2014 Diane L. Gill, Beverly D. Ulrich
2013 Jane E. Clark
2012 Robert W. Christina, Michael Wade
2009 Bob Malina
2008 Robert Singer
2007 Bert Carron
2005 George Stelmach
2004 Ronald Marteniuk, Waneen Spirduso
2003 Jerry Thomas
2002 Karl Newell
1999 Scott Kelso
1998 Glyn Roberts
1995 Daniel Landers
1992 Richard Schmidt
1989 Jack Adams
1981 Lawrence Rarick, Franklin Henry

Early Career Distinguished Scholars

Year Recipient
2023 Jaclyn Maher
2022 Jennifer Tomasone
2021 Travis Dorsch
2020 Ali Brian
2019 Sam Logan
2018 Jennifer Brunet
2017 Keith Lohse, Priscila Caçola
2016 Tony Carlsen, Ben Jackson
2015 Lisa Barnett
2014 Yu-Kai Chang, Leah E. Robinson
2013 Nicholas D. Myers
2012 Quincy J. Almeida, Catherine M. Sabiston
2011 Amy Latimer
2010 Timothy Welsh
2009 David Vaillancourt
2008 Ryan Rhodes, Sian Beilock
2007 Matthew Heath
2006 Paul Estabrooks
2005 Heather Hausenblas
2004 Viktor Jirsa
2003 A. Mark Williams
2001 Kathleen Martin
1998 Kerry Courneya
1997 Richard G. Carson
1996 Daniel Weeks, Richard van Emmerik
1995 Jody Jensen
1993 Stephan Swinnen
1992 Beverly Ulrich
1991 Edward McAuley
1987 Peter Hancock
1986 Les Carlton
1985 Deborah Feltz

Outstanding Student Paper Awards

Year Recipient
2023 Meredith Wekesser, Jacquelyn Sertic, Darice Brooks
2022 Sarah Lawrason, Julia Hussien, Emily Munn, Maeghan James
2021 Christine Callahan, James Brown
2020 Sinika Timme, Laura St. Germain, Danielle Carabello
2019 Dongwhi Suh, Robyn Feiss, Scott Graupensperger
2018 Seungmin Lee, I-Chieh Lee, Jerraco Johnson
2017 Valentin Benzing, Marcos Daou, An De Meester, Sabrina Thurman
2016 Till Utesch, Chaoyi Wang, Jenna Gilchrist
2015 Jeffery Graham, Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens, Sara Scharoun
2013 Deanna Kennedy, Azizah Jor’dan, Blair Evans
2012 Lindsay Kipp
2011 Rebecca Bassett, Jason Eckerle, Samuel Logan
2010 Shailesh Kantak, Erica Rauff
2009 Jennifer Gapin, Anastasia Kyvelidou
2008 Alison Smith, Breanna Studenka, Bradley King, Kelley Arbour
2007 Ting Liu
2006 Meghan McDonough
2005 Steven Coombes, Thomas Korff, Amy Latimer
2004 Daniella Godoi, Matthais Weigelt, Nicholas Myers
2003 Max J. Kurz, Jason S. Metcalfe
2002 A-Ron Chang, Kaleb McDowell
2001 Jenny Hill
2000 Thomas Scott Marzilli, Victoria Haehl, Panteleimon Ekkekakis
1999 Paul Estabrooks
1998 Kelly Pryde, Diane Romero, Chunxiao He
1997 Jose Barela, Andrea Mason, Shannon Mihalko, Nida Roncesvalles
1996 Yeou-Peh Liu, Maria Kavussanu, L.T.B. Gobbi
1995 Jin H. Yan, Maria Kavussanu, Jennifer Etnier
1994 Claire Giuffrida, Mary D. Walling, Rosa M. Angulo-Kinzler

Graduate Student Research Grants

Year Recipient
2023 Nikki Aitcheson-Huehn, Samantha DuBois, Rachana Gangwani, Jacquelyn Sertic
2022 Alethea Jerbbine, Jensen Price, Maeghan James
2021 Kristen Lucibello & Madison Vani, Olivia Won, Jarod Vance, Madhura Phansikar
2020 Peiyuan Wang, Majidullah Shaikh, Alexandra Carroll
2019 Seungmin Lee, Jeemin Kim, Alexandra Stribing, Taylor Buchanan
2018 Loriane Favoretto, Scott Graupensperger, Chanel LoJacono, Kara Palmer
2017 Jerraco Johnson, Ming-Sheng Chan, Alexis Slutsky
2016 Ana Kovacevic, Natalie Lander, Rebecca Wiene
2015 Alison Phillips, Alex Benson, Matthew Stork
2014 Jeffrey Graham
2013 Kaitlyn Baily, Ali Brian, Deanna Kennedy, Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens, Larissa K. True
2012 Patrick Belling, Guilherme Cesar, Ya Yun Lee, Kip Webster
2011 Melanie Adams, Lindsay Kipp, Dokyeong Lee
2010 Travis Dorsch, Joshua Williams
2009 Jennifer Gapin, Neha Loda, Matt Brown, Kelly Gamble
2008 Chad Rethorst, Jennifer Brunet
2007 Tobin Silver, Shailesh KIantak, Winona Snapp-Childs, Sarah Walls
2006 Nicholas Myers, Janice Chien-Ho Lin, Steven Coombes
2005 Anne Cox, Dawn Lantero, Aaron Duley, Kelly Arbour

Graduate Student Award for International Conference Travel

Year Recipient
2023 Madison Weinrich, Carrie Peters
2019 Jerraco Johnson, Kristen Lucibello, Amy Nesbitt
2018 Anika Gentile, Kendra Todd, Madison Vani
2017 Sanne Veldman, Matthew Stork
2016 Rebecca Chow
2015 Carolina Silveira, Ruopeng Sun, Eric Beck
2013 April Karlinksy, Jessica Stapleton, Jennifer Tomasone
2012 Chih-Chia Chen, Veronica Son
2011 Amber Shipherd
2010 Priscilla Caçola, Lindsay Duncan, Casey Gray
2009 Rebecca Bassett, Moe Machida
2008 Michael Sage
2007 Kate Keetch, Chia-Lin Chang, Beth Smith
2006 Chia-Lin Chang, Li-Chiou Chen, Breanna Studenka
2003 Clare MacMahon