From her success in the pool to the classroom and her commitment to the community, senior swimmer Abby Myers’ impact on the Kentucky swimming and diving team and the University of Kentucky is hard not to notice.
A team captain who has excelled both in the pool and in the classroom, Myers’ leadership is a key reason for the Wildcats’ success in 2014. Combined with her commitment to community service, and she is the perfect representation of what it means to be a student-athlete at Kentucky.
Myers, along with softball player Griffin Joiner, has been named one of UK’s two nominees for the NCAA’s Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship.
Established by the NCAA in 1988, the program honors one male and one female student-athlete annually by awarding a postgraduate scholarship in recognition of outstanding academic achievement and potential for success in postgraduate study.
“It means a lot to me. It is an honor to be chosen by the coaching staff and athletic department,” Myers said of her nomination. “It means a lot that they would think so highly of me and choose me to be a candidate for this award.”
The recipient of the Walter Byers Scholarship, announced in the spring, will be recognized as one who has combined the best elements of mind and body to achieve national distinction for his or her achievements, and promises to be a future leader in his or her chosen field of career service.
For UK head coach Lars Jorgensen, Myers fits the bill perfectly.
“Abby represents everything that’s great about UK and our team,” Jorgensen said. “There couldn’t be a more deserving person, who’s a great student, a great athlete and a great leader. She does wonderful things in the community and we’re proud that she is nominated for this honor.
“Our women’s team has made great strides the last two years, and much of that is because of Abby. Her work ethic in the pool, she holds her teammates accountable, she’s tough as nails and she is well respected by her peers. She is a great person too. There’s no shortage of good things to say about her. As far as her leadership, she is an outstanding leader and Abby has been huge in terms of our overall progress as a team.”
As one of UK’s captains this season, Myers has taken on an expanded role as a leader. With a large core of freshman and sophomores, those leadership responsibilities increase.
From workouts and competition to life outside the pool, Myers does not take the role lightly.
“I’m just trying to set the team into the right direction and set a good example,” Myers said. “I want to give everyone an opportunity to be the best that they can be. I think the team has really taken that and run with it this year. I have seen the team grow a lot over the past two years and this is the best team I have been a part of.”
In the classroom, Myers has been recognized several times for her academic success. Last spring, she was named to the Academic All-District Team, and helped the women’s team earn the nation’s best grade-point-average among all Division I men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams.
With a 3.94 GPA last year and majoring in Exercise Science, Myers has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll on three occasions.
Outside of team activities, Myers still can’t get far away from the pool. Twice a week, she volunteers with a Special Olympics swim team in Lexington.
Myers was UK’s representative on the 2014 SEC Community Service Team.
“My favorite part about community service is that I am part of a Special Olympics swim team downtown called the Fintastics,” Myers said. “I have been doing that since my freshman year and they are kind of like my Lexington family. I see them twice a week, coach them and even swim with the kids a little bit. They are so much fun to be with. It’s a nice thing to do to get off of campus to see some of the local Lexington people and get to know some people outside of UK.”
From Cranberry Township, Pa., Myers is far from home, but her team — both at UK and with the Fintastics — have become part of a second family.
As Myers competes in her final season with the Wildcats, the All-American will continue to take UK to new heights. For Myers, this is just the beginning.
