BIRMINGHAM, Ala., – Rifle shooter Jeff Hamberg and golfer Stacy Springer have been nominated by the University of Kentucky for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship.
The H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship has been presented by the Southeastern Conference since 1986 to the league’s top male and female scholar-athletes.
The Southeastern Conference will name the 2005 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.
Hamberg, a senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., has earned a 3.891 grade point average, with a double major in foreign languages and international economics. He has earned Dean’s List honors in each semester at Kentucky and was recognized in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He is a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and is a four-time Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Academic All-American. In 2003-04, he was named the Great American Rifle Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Hamberg was named National Rifle Association honorable mention All-American in the Smallbore Rifle competition in 2003-04 and was also named All-Great American Rifle Conference first-team in the smallbore and second-team in combined score. The Wildcats placed sixth in the NCAA Championships this season.
Hamberg is a member of the UK Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been inducted into the UK Athletic Department’s Frank G. Ham Society of Character. He has been active in community service, volunteering at the UK Children’s Hospital, the Salvation Army, Boy Scouts, the 4-H Club and the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter.
Springer, a senior from North Oaks, Minn., has a 3.879 grade point average, majoring in Integrated Strategic Communications at Kentucky. She is a member of the school’s Dean’s List, the UK Athletics Director’s Honor Roll and the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Last season, she was also named Academic All-American by the National Golf Coaches Association.
A four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats, she is a team captain of this year’s golf squad. In 2001-02, Springer received the team’s Triple-A Award for Academics, Achievement and Attitude. She has also been inducted into the school’s Frank G. Ham Society of Character. As the golf team’s representative to the UK Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, she has been active in community service. She has volunteered at local elementary schools, the Salvation Army, homeless shelters, food drives, retirement homes and the local Ronald McDonald House.
The SEC Office will be releasing each of its institution’s nominees periodically until the April 6 winners are announced. The schedule is as follows:
Alabama – Stewart Smith, Swimming & Diving (male) / Katie French, Soccer (female)
Arkansas – Jason Sandfort, Track & Field (male) / Shiloh Whiting, Track & Field (female)
Auburn – B.J. Jones, Swimming & Diving (male) / Margaret Hoelzer, Swimming & Diving (female)
Florida – Justin Zumsteg, Swimming & Diving (male) / Ashley Kellgren, Soccer (female)
Georgia – Miguel Mendoza, Swimming & Diving (male) / Samantha Arsenault, Swimming & Diving (female)
Kentucky – Jeff Hamberg, Rifle (male) / Stacy Springer, Women’s Golf (female)
LSU – March 28
Ole Miss – March 29
Miss. State – March 30
South Carolina – March 31
Tennessee – April 1
Vanderbilt – April 4
National Student-Athlete Day was created in 1987 by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society, and presented by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
National Student-Athlete Day is held each April 6 to celebrate outstanding student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics while having made significant contributions to the community. It is also a time to recognize those parents, teachers, coaches and school systems which make it possible for young people to find the balance between academics and athletics.
Each year, the SEC, in conjunction with ALLTEL, an SEC Corporate Partner, provides the league’s male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 22 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship. The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 12 SEC institutions and are honored at the SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin, Fla. on June 2.
Last year’s recipients were Alabama soccer player Lauren Imwalle and Auburn diver Caesar Garcia.
