BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Gymnast Lauren Klein and track and field athlete Rabun Fox 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 2009 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.
Fox, a senior from Houma, La., has a 3.73 grade point average, majoring in Kinesiology. He is a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the LSU Director’s Cup for Academic Excellence. He has also earned Dean’s List and Chancellor’s List honors at LSU as well as earning All-Academic status by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
A weight throw and hammer throw specialist on the track squad, Fox is a three-year letterwinner and has been an All-SEC performer during his career at LSU. In 2008, he had the 15th farthest hammer throw in the nation and eclipsed the Olympic Trials “B” qualifying standard. The Tigers have been SEC runners-up twice, won the NCAA Mideast Regional championship twice and were the NCAA national runners-up outdoors in 2008.
He is active in community service, visiting young patients at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, volunteering after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Gustav and participating in canned food and book drives. He also participated with fellow student-athletes raising money for Christmas gift campaigns and Halloween events for children.
Fox also plays the guitar and sings at local events and has plans to release an all-original album in the near future.
“Rabun is an outstanding young man, and he represents everything it means to be a student-athlete at LSU,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “Our program prides itself in achieving excellence not only on the track, but off the track as well with the work of our student-athletes in the classroom and in the community. Rabun is certainly deserving of such a great honor and is an outstanding choice for this University as one of its nominees for the McWhorter Post-Graduate Scholarship.”
Klein, a senior from The Woodlands, Texas. has a 3.96 grade point average, majoring in biological sciences. She is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll (2009 Winter Honor Roll to be released) and has been a two-time CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. She has also earned Chancellor’s List status at LSU and won the 2009 Wally Pontiff, Jr., Academic Excellence Award.
She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and has been named the LSU Most Outstanding Female Academic Student-Athlete.
Athletically, she is a three-year starter for the Lady Tigers, holding eight event titles on the floor and vault. In 2007, she was ranked third in the nation in the floor exercise. During the last two seasons, she has posted 12 scores of 9.9 or higher and was runner-up in the floor during the 2007 SEC Championships. The Lady Tigers were 2008 NCAA regional champions and were fifth in the nation.
Klein has been active in community service, volunteering her time with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Habitat for Humanity, ALS Walk for Lou Gehrig’s Disease and Foundation 56 Breast Cancer Awareness. She was active in the SEC’s “Together We Can” Food Drive and has visited with children at local hospitals and youth centers.
LSU Student-Athlete Q&A
Rabun Fox
What does being nominated for the McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award mean to you?
Being nominated for this prestigious award means that the continual support and mentoring from the role models in my life, as well as my personal dedication to improving myself in all facets has yielded a well rounded individual worthy of such honors.
What are your favorite classes and why?
My favorite classes are those that allow me to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom setting to practical and hands-on settings.
What does it mean to compete as a student-athlete of your institution?
As a student-athlete at LSU, I am expected to be a leader for my teammates both on the field and in the classroom, at the same time serving as an ambassador for university and athletic department to the community.
What would you tell an incoming student at your institution on how to succeed in college?
The most important advice I would have to an incoming LSU student would be to take full advantage of the resources provided by this university and the community of Baton Rouge that supports it.
What’s the best part of the day?
The best part of my day is practice because I enjoy the challenges that it brings as well as the camaraderie between my teammates and I.
Plans for post-graduate education?
I am currently pursuing admissions into medical schools so that I can pursue my dream of becoming a physician.
Lauren Klein
What does being nominated for the McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award mean to you?
I am very excited and extremely honored to have a chance to represent LSU in such a positive way.
What are your favorite classes and why?
As silly as it sounds I actually enjoy all of my classes. I love my biology classes because I am so intrigued by the complexity yet preciseness of how things work within the body. I also usually try to take electives in either theatre or music because although I lack any artistic ability I really appreciate and enjoy working with different types of people.
What does it mean to compete as a student-athlete of your institution?
Competing at such a high level is exhilarating. We work hard but we get to do what we love everyday. The best part is being able to represent our school and share our successes with students and fans. Also as a student-athlete we get to be role models not only within the university but in the community as well.
What would you tell an incoming student at your institution on how to succeed in college?
I would tell them to study things that they are interested in because they will have so much more success if they are excited about what they are learning. Also I would tell them to work towards their full potential everyday and take pride in what they are able to accomplish. The little things really do make a difference in the end. As Coach D-D Breaux would say, “Everything counts!”
What’s the best part of the day?
The best part of my day is also the worst part. I hate waking up early and we have 6:30 a.m. training a couple times a week. However, my teammates are quick to cheer me up. Whether it is Ashley Lee acting wild and crazy or Susan Jackson diving head first into the freezing pool on swim day, something fun is always happening. As annoying as it is to get up so early, that hour starts my day out with a smile.
Plans for post-graduate education?
After college I hope to attend medical school. I want to deliver babies some day.
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 ? Michael Jung, Tennis (Male) / Brittany Rogers, Softball (Female)
Arkansas ? Blake Strode, Tennis (Male) / Aurelija Miseviciute, Tennis (Female)
Auburn ? Glenn Northcutt, Golf (Male) / Allison Whitworth, Soccer (Female)
Florida ? Eugene Martin, Track & Field (Male) / Kelsey Bowers, Volleyball (Female)
Georgia ? Kit French, Swimming (Male) / Courtney Kupets, Gymnastics (Female)
Kentucky ? Tim Masthay, Football (Male) / Jessica Ortman, Track & Field/Cross Country (Female)
LSU ? Rabun Fox, Track & Field (Male) / Lauren Klein, Gymnastics (Female)
Ole Miss ? March 27
Miss. State ? March 30
South Carolina ? March 31
Tennessee ? April 1
Vanderbilt ? April 2
Brad Davis Community Service Award ? April 3
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 sponsor, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl, 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 28.
Last year’s recipients were Alabama golfer Joseph Sykora and Auburn swimmer Kristen Hastrup.