BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? Kentucky soccer player Chris Austin and volleyball player Liz McCaslin have been nominated by the University of Kentucky for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship, the Southeastern Conference announced Thursday.
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.
Austin, a co-captain on the 2003 men?s soccer team, led the Wildcats to a 12-7-2 record and Kentucky?s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five years. He is a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats and he made the Soccer America Men?s Team of the Week for Oct. 12-18, 2003. Austin spearheaded UK?s defensive unit that allowed 15 goals in 2003, which ties the school record for fewest goals allowed in a season.
Austin, a senior from Marietta, Ga., is a journalism major and two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and three-time member of the Mid-American Conference Academic Honor Roll. He was an East Region Scholar All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association in 2002 and a CoSIDA Academic All-District IV team member in 2003-04. Austin is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society and a member of the UK Athletics Outreach Committee. In February, Austin was inducted into the Frank G. Ham Society of Character along with teammate and fellow senior, Craig Pykett.
The McWhorter Award male nominee for Kentucky has been a men’s soccer player in four of the past five years. Jason Bell (2000), Giovanni Fernandes (2001) and Ilkka Jantti (2002) were nominees for the award prior to Austin.
McCaslin, a senior from Libertyville, Ill., is in the Master of Business Administration program at Kentucky. She has already earned her bachelor?s degree in Marketing. She was named Dean?s List for seven semesters and was a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. She was a two-time member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV team and is a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi Business Honor Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society.
A team-co-captain, McCaslin was named all-tournament for the UK Conference Challenge and the Demon Deacon Invitational in 2003. She was the PNC Bank Scholar-Athlete of the Week in 2001 and is President of the UK Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a representative on the NCAA Academic Eligibility Committee. McCaslin was also a member of the NCAA Working Group to study the 20-hour rule in 2003.
McCaslin is also active in community service, volunteering with Cats Cultivating Character, UK Athletics Food Drive, UK Children?s Hospital, Salvation Army and 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 ? Lauren Imwalle, Soccer (female) / Brian Rohrer, Track & Field (male)
Arkansas ? Jessica Johnson, Track & Field (female) / Nathan Price, Tennis (male)
Auburn ? Becky Short, Swimming (female) / Caesar Garcia, Swimming (male)
Florida ? Megan McMillan, Soccer (female) / Scott Schultz, Swimming (male)
Georgia ? Corrie Drakulich, Track & Field (female) / Ryan Hybl, Golf (male)
Kentucky ? Liz McCaslin, Volleyball (female) / Chris Austin, Soccer (male)
LSU ? March 26
Ole Miss ? March 29
Miss. State ? March 30
South Carolina ? March 31
Tennessee ? April 1
Vanderbilt ? April 2
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 3.
Last year?s recipients were Florida basketball player Matt Bonner and Alabama gymnast Kristin Sterner.
