BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State College freshman men's soccer player Tim Cuprinski was just recently awarded the Paul E. Tsongas Scholarship at a luncheon in the Great Hall of the Massachusetts Statehouse.

A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, Cuprinski is one of 49 freshman college students who received the scholarship, which covers tuition and fees for all four years at any of the nine Massachusetts state colleges.

Cuprinski started at defense in all 18 games for the Bears during his rookie season of 2006. He is a 2006 graduate of Brockton High School where he played on the soccer team, ran track and was a member of the National Honor Society.

The Tsongas scholarship program was started in 1998 to honor the late United States Senator, Paul E. Tsongas.  A national political figure who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992, Tsongas also served as the chair of the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education, now the Board of Higher Education.

The award recognizes Massachusetts students who graduated from high school with a 3.75 or better grade point average and an SAT score of 1200 or higher. Recipients must maintain a 3.3 GPA or above to remain eligible for the award.