Freshman in the UO chapter of the Evans Scholars Program received the Roland F. “Mac” McGuigan Academic Trophy for a 3.6 cumulative GPA at the 65th annual Evans Scholars winter meeting in Chicago.

 “We are so incredibly proud of our New Scholars for the hard work they put into their first term of college and into our first New Scholars program,” the UO chapter said in a statement. “They have all made living in the scholarship house so much more special, because they get the true full Evans Scholars experience.”

The competition recognizes chapters whose freshman achieve a 3.0 or higher GPA in fall term. The UO had the highest among them, but 13 other chapters were also eligible.

The Evans Scholars Program is a nationwide scholarship program for caddies, covering tuition and housing. It began in 1899 and has since expended to provide assistance to 935 students enrolled at 20 universities this year, a total contribution of $17.6 million.

The UO chapter, which has caddies from Oregon, Nevada and California, is the 15th, and most recent, residential Evans Scholars program in the country. In fall 2016, it opened the first new Evans Scholarship House in 30 years.

To qualify for the scholarship, students must have worked as caddies for at least two years, and recipients are chosen based on a combination of need and merit.

The UO chapter, where all Eugene-based Evans Scholars live, houses up to 50 students. The total scholarship commitment for a four-year cohort of UO Evans Scholars is approximately $3.5 million.

For more information about the Evans Scholars Foundation visit the website, and more about the UO chapter can be found on its website.