UK Nominees for McWhorter Post-Grad Scholarships Revealed

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –  Jordan Swindle of the Kentucky football team and Morgan Bergren of the Wildcat volleyball team have been nominated for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship by the University of Kentucky.

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 2016 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 28.

Highlights of Kentucky’s nominees include:

Jordan Swindle, Football, Kentucky

· Three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member

· Second-Team Academic All-American in 2015 by the College Sports Information Directors Association

· Has aspirations of becoming a doctor

· Selected by UK head coach Mark Stoops to represent Kentucky at the annual SEC football media days in back-to-back seasons

· Three-year starter at offensive tackle

· Played in 46 games, starting 35

· In his three seasons as a starter, the UK offense improved from 18 points per game, to 20 ppg his sophomore season, 29 ppg as a junior and to 24.7 ppg as a senior

· In his senior season, his blocking helped UK average 4.7 yards per rushing attempt, the best mark in 28 years

· Key blocker for Stanley “Boom” Williams who set a single-season school record by averaging 7.1 yards per carry

· In his junior season, UK had five players rush for at least 300 yards, first time that has happened since 1977

· Graduated in December of 2015 with a 3.913 GPA in kinesiology

Morgan Bergren, Volleyball, Kentucky

· CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team (2015)

· Three-time member of SEC Academic Honor Roll, also named to the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll

· Frank G. Ham Society of Character Inductee

· Senior CLASS Award Finalist and All-American

· 2015 member of SEC Community Service team

· Earned AVCA All-America Second Team (2014), AVCA All-America Honorable Mention (2015)

· Two-Time AVCA All-Southeast Region First Team (2014, 2015)

· Two-Time All-SEC Team (2014, 2015)

· Competed with U.S. Collegiate National Team in China in 2015

· Fifth Kentucky player to log 3,500 career assists

· Concluded career ranking first in assists (3,814), third in hitting percentage (.336), fourth in aces (73), fifth in block assists (255) and total blocks (281)

· Owns Memorial Coliseum record and UK record with a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage when she achieved the feat with 10 kills vs. Arkansas on Nov. 29, 2014

· Three-year starter at setter who appeared in four NCAA Tournaments  and one Sweet 16

· Kinesiology major with a concentration on physical education and health owns a 3.73 GPA

Each year, the SEC, in conjunction with AT&T, an SEC official sponsor, provides the league’s male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship.  The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $7,500 post-graduate scholarship.

The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions and are honored at the SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin, Fla., in early June.

Last year’s McWhorter Award recipients were Nathanael Franks of the Arkansas track & field team and Maddie Locus of the Georgia swim team.