Hard Work Pays Off for H. Boyd McWhorter Nominee Trinity Hammerschmidt
Hard work pays off, and South Carolina senior equestrian Trinity Hammerschmidt is enjoying the fruits of her labor after being named one of the Gamecocks’ two H. Boyd McWhorter nominees. She and Filip Demsar from track and field will receive a post graduate scholarship to continue their education.
“I just felt so honored to be one of the recipients,” said Hammerschmidt, who earned her undergraduate degree in Sport and Entertainment Management last May and already has one year of graduate school under her belt in the same field. “I’ve worked really hard in the classroom, so now that I’m in grad school, it feels really good. I have classes this summer and into the fall and will graduate in December. It’s super helpful!
“I want to work in sports management. I like the idea of working for a sports agency in operations or account management.”
Each of the SEC’s 14 schools nominates a male and female finalist for the award, which guarantees they will receive assistance to apply to their post-graduate studies. The SEC provides the league’s male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship and will announce those winners next month. The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship. Each student-athlete is recognized for their work, service, and academic accomplishments, in addition to being recognized for their athletic ability.
“You have to have time management, and you have to make time to have breaks and spend time with friends.”
Hammerschmidt is a two-time Second Team All-America selection and earned All-SEC honors three times with the Gamecocks. She also excelled outside the ring, posting an undergraduate grade point average of 3.672 and owns a 3.333 GPA in her master’s program. She has been a member of the NCEA, SEC and Athletics Director Honor Rolls, and has been active in the community, volunteering with Families Helping Families, Gamecock Pantry donations, and Meals on Wheels, among others. To succeed in all of these areas, Hammerschmidt has maintained excellent time management skills.
“I’ve grown up riding horses, and I did online school,” Hammerschmidt said. “I’ve always had to be on top of my coursework and keep myself organized. My experiences with that before college definitely helped with my transition. You have to have time management, and you have to make time to have breaks and spend time with friends.”
Hammerschmidt started riding horses at an early age, so as she prepares to move on to the professional world, she has plenty of great memories of her time as a Gamecock and isn’t quite ready to completely let go of the reins.
“I think the friendships that I’ve made here and being able to ride at the Division I level stand out to me,” Hammerschmidt said. “It’s such an incredible experience. Equestrian is such an individual sport outside of college, so it’s great to create relationships with teammates and work towards a common goal.
“I definitely want to have horses in my life. I don’t know if it will be in a professional aspect or if it will be a hobby, but it will be in my life forever. If I’m able to work for an agency that works with equestrian, that would be cool!”
The McWhorter Scholarship recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions and will be announced in May. They will also be honored by the league membership at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida.
