INDIANAPOLIS - Cal Poly Pomona's Rosslyn Beard and Michelle Nava have been selected to receive NCAA Division II Degree-Completion Awards.

The NCAA established the Division II Degree-Completion Award Program in 2001 to provide deserving student-athletes financial assistance to complete their first baccalaureate degree. Candidates are students who have exhausted their athletic eligibility and have received athletic financial aid.

The selection process for the national award emphasizes the academic performance of the student-athlete. Other factors considered are financial circumstances, athletic achievement, and involvement in campus and community activities.

Beard competed in 114 games through her four-year career on the Broncos' women's basketball team. She registered 219 assists and helped CPP reach the NCAA postseason in the past three seasons, including the program's 2011 appearance at the Elite Eight in Missouri. A regular on the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and CoSIDA All-District academic teams, Beard is pursuing a degree in Kinesiology.

Nava, a Covina native who transferred from Mt. San Antonio College before the 2010-11 academic year, established herself as one of the conference's top defenders for women's soccer. As a senior, she totaled 1,656 minutes of action on the back line while helping CPP attain a low goals against average of 1.31. A 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, Nava is also pursuing a Kinesiology degree.

For more information on the NCAA's Degree Completion Award program, click here.