SEC TO RELEASE McWHORTER POST-GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH NATIONAL STUDENT-ATHLETE DAY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Divers Andrew Keane and Hali Saucier have been nominated by LSU 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 2007 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.
Keane, a senior from Normandy Park, Wash., has earned a 3.66 grade point average, majoring in Finance. He is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and has earned the Dean’s List and Chancellor’s List during his time at LSU.
A four-year letter winner and team captain, Keane was the highest LSU finisher on the platform at the 2006 NCAA Zone B Championships and the 2007 SEC Championships. He won his team’s Stripes Award, which is given to the person with the highest work ethic in the pool, weight room and classroom.
Keane is a member and webmaster for the Student Finance Association, developing and maintaining its website as well as planning meetings and trips with other offices. He is also a member and former social director of Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law society at LSU.
Saucier, a senior from Gig Harbor, Wash., has a 3.95 grade point average, majoring in Kinesiology. She was the Tiger Athletic Foundation LSU Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2005-06 and a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
She was also the recipient of the Wally Pontiff Jr. Academic Excellence Award and a three-time member of the Dean’s List. She is also a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honors Society and the Phi Kappa Phi National Honors Society.
Saucier was a triple finalist at the 2007 SEC Championships, and she became the first LSU swimmer to win a regional title since 2003 when she captured the 3-meter springboard at the 2007 NCAA Zone B Championships. Saucier went on to earn first-team platform All-America honors at the 2007 NCAA Championships with a seventh-place finish.
She volunteered her time at Children’s Hospital, Baton Rouge General Hospital, Boys Hope and participated in a week-long medical church mission trip to Mexico.
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 ? Emeel Salem, Baseball (Male) / Aymara Albury, Track & Field (Female)
Arkansas ? Adam Perkins, Track & Field/Cross Country (Male) / Sarah Pfeifer, Basketball (Female)
Auburn ? Steven Segerlin, Swimming & Diving (Male) / Natalie Burton, Equestrian (Female)
Florida ? Lee Humphrey, Baskeball (Male) / Kelli Eisenbrown, Soccer (Female)
Georgia ? Brendon Todd, Golf (Male) / Kellie Middleton, Softball (Female)
Kentucky ? Nathan Li, Soccer (Male) / Krystle Cook, Gymnast (Female)
LSU ? Andrew Keane, Diving (Male) / Hali Saucier, Diving (Female)
Ole Miss ? March 29
Miss. State ? March 30
South Carolina ? April 2
Tennessee ? April 3
Vanderbilt ? April 4
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 AT&T, an SEC Corporate Champion, 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 May 31.
Last year’s recipients were Florida basketball player Sarah Lowe and LSU football player Rudy Niswanger.