BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 28 — Soccer player Chelsea Agar and baseball player Jason Determann 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 2005 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.
Agar, a senior from Courtenay, British Columbia., has a 4.0 grade point average with a double major in biochemistry and sociology. This season, Agar was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American as voted by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Last year, she was named a third team on the Academic All-America selection. Agar was also named the Southeastern Conference Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and presented the LSU team academic award.
A four-year starter for the Tigers as a midfielder, Agar started in 68 games in her career. Agar also tallied two goals, an assist and five points in her four seasons at LSU. She was honorable mention all-state by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association.
As member of the SEC Good Works Team, she also volunteers for many worthwhile events including the annual “Holiday on Campus” for children of LSU students, faculty, and staff, the “Halloween BOO-zar”, and the Christmas Toy Drive. She also spends time at the local hospital in the children’s ward and participates in soccer clinics for underprivileged children.
Determann, a senior from Baton Rouge, has a 3.781 grade point average, majoring in biology. He is a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta national premedical honor society and has been named to the Dean’s List every semester at LSU and the Chancellor’s Honor Roll twice. He has already posted the required MCAT scores to qualify for acceptance into medical school.
Determann has also been awarded the Director’s Cup for three seasons, which goes to student-athletes who excel in academics at LSU. He is a fourth-year junior in terms of athletic eligibility having had a medical redshirt in 2002.
A pitcher on the baseball team, Determann has posted 14-5 record in his three seasons before his senior campaign with a 3.47 earned run average. During the 2003 season, he was named second-team all-state by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association and was a Freshman All-America by Collegiate Baseball.
Active in community service, Determann has volunteered as a coach with Special Olympics, served as a instructor at several baseball camps and has read to children as part of the CHAMPS Life Skills Program. He has also worked as a physical therapist technician, assisting patients with ultrasounds, electric stimulations and setting up heat/ice wraps.
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 – Stewart Smith, Swimming & Diving (male) / Katie French, Soccer (female)
Arkansas – Jason Sandfort, Track & Field (male) / Shiloh Whiting, Track & Field (female)
Auburn – B.J. Jones, Swimming & Diving (male) / Margaret Hoelzer, Swimming & Diving (female)
Florida – Justin Zumsteg, Swimming & Diving (male) / Ashley Kellgren, Soccer (female)
Georgia – Miguel Mendoza, Swimming & Diving (male) / Samantha Arsenault, Swimming & Diving (female)
Kentucky – Jeff Hamberg, Rifle (male) / Stacy Springer, Golf (female)
LSU – Jason Determann, Baseball (male) / Chelsea Agar, Soccer (female)
Ole Miss – March 29
Miss. State – March 30
South Carolina – March 31
Tennessee – April 1
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 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 2.
Last year’s recipients were Alabama soccer player Lauren Imwalle and Auburn diver Caesar Garcia.