BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — LSU men’s diver Erik Petursson and women’s swimmer Carly Farrell represented LSU as finalists for the 2000-01 H. Boyd McWhorter Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year Award, SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer announced Wednesday.
University of Georgia swimmer Kim Black and Mississippi State University football player Scott Westerfield were named the Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The awards will be formally presented to the two student-athletes at the annual Awards Banquet at the league’s spring meeting in Destin, Fla. on May 31.
Black and Westerfield were chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 12 SEC universities. Both will receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by Alltel.
In addition, 11 other male and female finalists for the McWhorter SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award will receive a $5,000 scholarship, made possible by funds provided by Alltel.
The 11 other male recipients are: Jeremy Vaughn, Baseball, Alabama; Jeffrey Hoefler, Baseball, Arkansas; Jeffrey Somensatto, Swimming, Auburn; Gregory Reeves, Swimming, Florida; Brandon Rocque, Swimming, Georgia; Giovanni Fernandes, Soccer, Kentucky; Erik Petursson, Diving, LSU; Reagan King, Football, Ole Miss; Lars Cederqvist, Golf, South Carolina; Lance Asti, Swimming, Tennessee; Ulises Cabrera-Valenzuela, Baseball, Vanderbilt.
The 11 other female recipients are: Dominique Glinzler, Tennis, Alabama; Amy Begley, Track & Field/Cross Country, Arkansas; Abigail Doucette, Track & Field, Auburn; Teal Chiabotti, Gymnastics, Florida; Megan Weiskircher, Volleyball, Kentucky; Carly Farrell, Swimming, LSU; Sara Schauberger, Soccer, Ole Miss; Annemarie Pimentel, Soccer, Mississippi State; Leigh Eichelberger, Tennis, South Carolina; Kathryn Flynt, Diving, Tennessee; Candice Storey, Basketball, Vanderbilt.
Black, who maintains a 4.0 grade point average in biology, helped the Lady Bulldogs to their third straight NCAA Championship and fifth consecutive SEC title this year. She was a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay team, which won the 2001 NCAA and SEC title, breaking a school record in the process, and she set season-bests in three events at the SEC Championships.
During her first season at Georgia during the 2000 season, Black was a three-time All-American, placing sixth in the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle events and as a leadoff of Georgia’s fifth-place 800-meter freestyle relay team at the NCAA Championships. She was also a part of the SEC Champion 800-yard freestyle relay, which set a conference meet record.
Westerfield is a two-year letterman for the Bulldog football team and served as team captain this season. A two-time second-team All-SEC selection as a placekicker, Westerfield finished his career in the Top 20 in the SEC in career field goal percentage, hitting 71.4 percent of his attempts (30-of-42). He also holds the school record for most field goals made in a season (18 in 1999) and is eighth in school history in career field goals made (30). His 55 career PATs made stands fifth on the MSU record chart and his 145 career points scored is sixth in State’s record book.
Westerfield was a National Junior College Athletic Association First-Team All-American and a two-time Academic All-American at Hinds Community College, before enrolling at Mississippi State.
The SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards were first presented in 1986.
The honor was renamed the H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year in May 1990 to honor the former commissioner who served the conference from 1972-86.
Past recipients include: 2000 – Joey Pitts, Georgia (tennis) and Lisette Lee, LSU (golf); 1999 – Jeff Zurcher, Kentucky (football) and Jessica Field, Arkansas (volleyball); 1998 – Jeremy Jackson, Mississippi State (baseball) and Shani Abshier, South Carolina (volleyball); 1997 – Andrew DeVooght, Georgia (swimming) and Meredith Willard, Alabama (gymnastics); 1996 – Martin Nyberg, LSU (swimming) and Michelle Palmisano, Vanderbilt (basketball); 1995 – Michael Blanchard, LSU (football) and April Ecke, Mississippi State (cross country); 1994 – Peter Duitsman, South Carolina (soccer) and Tammy Newlon, Mississippi State (basketball); 1993 – Lang Wiseman, Tennessee (basketball) and Aimee York, Mississippi State (volleyball); 1992 – Jeff Laubenthal, Alabama (baseball) and Jenifer Kleyn, Auburn (volleyball); 1991 – Al Parker, Georgia (tennis) and Patty Wiegand, Tennessee (track and cross country); 1990 – Burke Masters, Mississippi State (baseball) and Janice Kerr, Florida (gymnastics); 1989 – Mikael Olander, LSU (track) and Deanne Burnett, Georgia (swimming); 1988 – Danny Hoskins, Ole Miss (football) and Linda Leith, Georgia (gymnastics); 1987 – Jeff Noblin, Ole Miss (football) and Julie Estin, Alabama (gymnastics); 1986 – John Young, Tennessee (track) and Virginia Diederich, Georgia (swimming).