Jaspers, Smith Named Mississippi State Nominees For McWhorter Post-Graduate Scholarship
May 25, 2016 | Athletic Academics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Softball player Kate Jaspers and football player Brent Smith have been nominated by Mississippi 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.
Jaspers, a senior from Prescott, Ariz., has a double major in Psychology and Spanish. A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for the Lady Bulldogs, Jaspers is currently third on the team in hitting with a .357 average with seven extra-base hits and 22 RBI. As a first baseman/outfielder, she has not committed an error in 119 chances this season. The Lady Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament twice and the SEC Tournament in three of her four seasons.
Academically, Jaspers was a first-team NFCA Academic All-America and a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America in softball last season. She is a member of Mississippi State's Dean's List and a President's Scholar. She is a member of Society of Scholars and was honored with the Newsom Award for two consecutive years, for outstanding academic achievement by a student-athlete at Mississippi State. A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, she also was presented the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award by the Mississippi State Psychology Research Forum last year.
Smith, a senior from Byhalia, Miss, is a major in Business Administration. As a placekicker on the Bulldog football team, Smith hit 8-of-10 field goals and all 19 of his point-after-touchdown tries last season. Against Vanderbilt, Smith hit three field goals including a season-long 47 yarder. He also hit two field goals against Tulane and Arkansas. In 2002, he led the SEC in field goal percentage, hitting 16-of-20 field goals.
Smith is a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll as well as the Bulldog Honor Roll. He is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key International, Phi Beta Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Societies. He was named the male recipient of the Newsom Award, for outstanding academic achievement by a student-athlete at Mississippi State in 2003.
The SEC Office will be releasing each of its institutions' 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 - Tywanna Inmon, Basketball (female) / Chad Pilcher, Baseball & Football (male)
Miss. State - Kate Jaspers, Softball (female) / Brent Smith, Football (male)
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.
