Now finishing a master’s in engineering at Tufts, he was a key contributor to the 2021 Jumbo team that won the NESCAC championship, and to the 2018 and 2019 NCAA championship teams
“Soccer and academics are integral parts of my life and have been critical to my growth in the classroom, on the soccer field, and as a person,” said Travis Van Brewer. Photo: SportsPix
Travis Van Brewer, E21, EG22, a leading member of the Jumbo men’s soccer team in 2017-21, has been selected as a recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. He is one of just 21 male student-athletes nationally at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels to receive the award.
The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee awarded Van Brewer a $10,000 scholarship for graduate study. The scholarship is awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
Van Brewer, who used a fifth year of eligibility to play soccer in the fall 2021, is now working toward a Master of Science in civil engineering, with a concentration in structural engineering. He will be applying the funds from the scholarship to the expenses for the degree.
“I am honored to have been awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship,” Van Brewer said. “Soccer and academics are integral parts of my life and have been critical to my growth in the classroom, on the soccer field, and as a person.”
Van Brewer was a key contributor to the 2021 Jumbo team that won the NESCAC championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament Elite 8. Playing in all 21 games (20 starts), he was fourth on the Jumbos with five goals and 13 points.
He earned NESCAC All-Conference and United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors for his performance. The conference honor was the second of his career.
He was also a key contributor to Tufts’ 2018 and 2019 NCAA championship seasons earlier in his career. His head coach at that time, Josh Shapiro, and assistant coach, Jordie Ciuffetelli, who are now coaching at Harvard, contributed to his NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship nomination. Van Brewer has spent the last two seasons practicing and playing for current Tufts head coach Kyle Dezotell.
“I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to coach Travis for his final college season.” said Dezotell. “Travis is an incredible player and even better person. Throughout Travis’ career he was one of the most skillful and technical midfielders in the country in Division III, but what made Travis elite was how hard he worked on both sides of the ball.”
From Wilbraham, Massachusetts, Van Brewer graduated summa cum laude from Tufts in 2021, and is a four-time NESCAC All-Academic Team honoree, which requires a 3.50 grade point average or better.
This past fall he was selected as a College Sports Information Directors Association Academic All-American, and has received All-District academic honors twice. He also received the Earl F. Littleton Graduate Fellowship from Tufts, as well as the Max O. Urbahn Scholarship from the Society of American Military Engineers.
“Travis is the kind of person who represents the best of NCAA sports, and I gave him my highest recommendation for this award without any reservations,” said Babak Moaveni, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and Van Brewer’s academic advisor.
Van Brewer has also been involved in several volunteer and research activities, such as New Beginnings Re-Entry Services, a nonprofit charity that helps formerly incarcerated women re-enter their communities. He also volunteered with Inspire, which provides consulting services to nonprofits. Through soccer, he has raised money for Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Soccer for Peace, and Grassroots Soccer.
After he graduates with a master’s degree in May, Van Brewer will work in Boston as an associate in EY-Parthenon’s software strategy group.
Athletic Communications director Paul Sweeney can be reached at paul.sweeney@tufts.edu.
