BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The conference office announced Women’s Swimming & Diving’s Megan Barnes and Men’s Track and Field’s Matthew Sophia are the 2026 LSU nominees 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 2026 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship in late April.
Barnes has excelled both in and out of the pool during her time as a Tiger. She has been named several times to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, President’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and CSC Academic All-District Team. The senior has also completed 15 hours of community service, helping out with Habitat for Humanity and numerous other events as part of LSU Tiger Life. In the pool, she has qualified for the NCAA Championships every season. She also holds four program records, two as an individual and two as a member of a relay.
Sophia has blazed the track for four years with the LSU Tigers on his way to excelling in the classroom. The star hurdler has racked up multiple SEC Academic honor roll nods, an USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor and a nod to the Dean’s List. On the track he’s a three-time All-American and a Dutch National Champion in the 110-meter hurdles. Sophia holds the No. 5 time in LSU history for the 110h (13.37) and the No. 6 time in LSU history for the 60-meter hurdles (7.67). The three-year letter winner has multiple volunteer experience ongoing as a representative of the Netherlands in International Competition committee and his mentorship to the youth in track and field.
The SEC provides the league’s male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 30 remaining male and female finalists for the award will receive a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship.
The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 16 SEC institutions. Last year’s McWhorter Award recipients were Mason Nichols of the Ole Miss baseball team and Abby McCulloh of the Georgia swimming and diving team.
LSU has had nine recipients in the past. Men’s track and field’s Jackson Martingayle was the last Tiger to receive the award in 2023.