BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Golfer Devon Day and football player Rodney Reed have been nominated by Louisiana State University 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 2004 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.
Day, a senior from Greer, S.C., is majoring in Mass Communications. A four-year letter winner for the Lady Tigers, Day was named the Tiger Athletic Foundation Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2003-04. She was named the recipient of the Wally Pontiff, Jr. Award, given to LSU’s most outstanding student-athlete in 2003. Day is also a two-time member of the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team and an NCAA Academic All-America. She also received the Athletic Director’s Cup Award for Academic Excellence.
Day is a seven time member of LSU’s Dean’s List and is a member of the LSU Honors College. She is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma and Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Societies. She is a member of the LSU Foreaux Society and the recipient of the LSU Chancellor’s Scholarship. She has also been active in community service, volunteering for Make-A-Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and Families First Toy Drive.
Reed, a senior from West Monroe, La., is in Masters of Business Administration program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting in 2003. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and Mortar Board and earned the Eric Andolsek and Butch Duhe Leadership Awards. In 2003, he was the Tiger Athletic Foundation Male Scholar of the Year and named the Outstanding Senior in the College of Business. He was also inducted into the LSU Academic Center for Student-Athletes Hall of Fame in 2003.
Reed was a starting offensive tackle and co-captain for the Tigers’ National Championship football team in 2003. During his career, Reed started 48 games on the offensive line for the Tigers. He was a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America in 2002-03 and a second-team choice in 2001. He was one of 15 college football players representing all divisions that were named a Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 2003.
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 — Devon Day, Golf (female) / Rodney Reed, Football (male)
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.