May 23, 2012

Birmingham, Ala. – University of South Carolina baseball player Michael Roth and Georgia swimmer Wendy Trott have been named the 2011-12 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athletes of the Year, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive announced Friday. The awards will be formally presented to the two student-athletes at the annual Awards Banquet at the league’s spring meeting in Destin, Fla., on May 31.

The two were chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC universities and both will receive a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by AT&T, an SEC Corporate Champion sponsor, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

“The commitment and dedication that Michael and Wendy embody make them excellent selections for the SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award. Michael and Wendy have achieved success at the highest levels in their sport, the classroom and in the community,” said Slive. “They are outstanding representatives of their institutions and the Southeastern Conference.”

Roth, a native of Greer, S.C., will earn a B.S. degree in International Business and Marketing in May. He was a first-team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American and a recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 Award, having the highest grade point average of all student-athletes participating in the College World Series last season. A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, he is also a member of Carolina’s Dean’s List and President’s List.

Roth was a consensus first-team All-America in 2011 and finished the season with a 14-3 overall record and 1.06 earned run average as a starting pitcher for the Gamecocks. He was a first-team All-SEC choice and member of the College World Series All-Tournament Team.

A four-year letter winner, he was a team captain of the 2011 NCAA Champions. He was the winning pitcher in the 2010 and 2011 national championship-clinching games. He was named the 2011 National Player of the Year by CollegeBaseballInsider.com and a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award.

In the community, Roth has visited children at various elementary schools and hospitals and took part in the “Light the Night” Walk, helping to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He is also a member of Carolina’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
He has also used his academic interests in the business community. He created and executed a marketing plan to maximize textbook buybacks for Better World Books and consulted with Avwatch, a system integration company, helping it create an international market entry strategy, leading it into new markets in Canada, Chile and the United States.

The son of David and Deborah Roth intends to pursue a master’s degree in international business and learn new languages. He studied in Alicante, Spain in the Summer of 2011.

Trott, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, will earn her B.A. degree in International Affairs in May. She is a recipient of the 2011-12 Joel Eaves Scholar-Athlete Award for the highest GPA among student-athletes entering their senior year at Georgia. She is also the co-recipient of UGA’s Marilyn Vincent Award for the UGA female student-athlete with the highest GPA upon graduating.

A member of UGA Honors Program, she has a 3.97 cumulative grade point average and won the Elite 89 Award at the 2012 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships as the participant with the highest grade point average at the meet. She was named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large Team and is a three-time College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar-All-American.

She is a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, UGA Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and recipient of the 2011-12 Ramsey Scholarship for Academic and Athletic Excellence at UGA.

Trott was elected to be a member of the Sphinx Club, the oldest honorary society at Georgia, and the Palladia Society, known as the highest honor a woman can achieve at the University.

In the pool, she is a three-time NCAA champion in the 1,650 freestyle and is the first woman in SEC history to be a four-time champion in the event. She was also the SEC Champion in the 500 freestyle in 2010 and is a four-time first-team All-SEC selection. She was named the 2012 SEC Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Trott has volunteered at Project Safe domestic abuse shelter, Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and visited children at Barrow Elementary School. She is also a member of UGA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was inducted into the UGA Student-Athlete Leadership Academy in 2010.

The daughter of Sue Trott aspires to work in international relations, either in diplomacy for her home country of South Africa or in an intergovernmental organization such as the African Union or the United Nations.

The McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award is being released to coincide with National Student-Athlete Day, which 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).

“With 2012 being the 25th celebration of National Student-Athlete Day, we are proud to have honored over 3.1 million college and high school student-athletes nationwide. Those individuals who epitomize the true meaning of what being a student-athlete means,” said Dr. Richard E. Lapchick, Founder and President of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports. “A well-rounded individual who uses their success on the playing field and in the classroom to bring people together, make a difference in the community and become successful people in society. This day is a tribute to all things great about athletes and sport.”

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.

The 11 other male recipients are: Kyle Weeks, Swimming & Diving, Alabama; Ben Skidmore, Track & Field, Arkansas; Cory Luckie, Baseball, Auburn; Greg Larson, Baseball, Florida; J.P. Hackney, Track & Field/Cross Country, Georgia; Stuart Hines, Football, Kentucky; Matthew Vieke, Swimming & Diving, LSU; Marcel Thiemann, Tennis, Ole Miss; Louis Cant, Tennis, Mississippi State; Ryan Helms, Swimming & Diving, Tennessee; DeAndre Jones, Football, Vanderbilt.

The 11 other female recipients are: Brooke Pancake, Golf, Alabama; Courtney O’Grady, Swimming & Diving, Arkansas; Katy Frierson, Soccer, Auburn; Teresa Crippen, Swimming & Diving, Florida; Rachel Riley, Softball, Kentucky; Brittany Mack, Softball, LSU; Gabby Rangel, Tennis, Ole Miss; Kim Pettit, Soccer, Mississippi State; Katie Burnett, Golf, South Carolina; Glory Johnson, Basketball, Tennessee; Louise Hannallah, Track & Field/Cross Country, Vanderbilt.

The SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards were first presented in 1986. They were renamed the SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards in May 1990 to honor the former commissioner who served the conference from 1972-86.

Past recipients include: 2011 – Dan Mazzaferro, Auburn (swimming & diving) and Erica Meissner, Auburn (swimming & diving); 2010 – Jordan Anderson, Auburn (swimming & diving) and Phoebe Wright, Tennessee (track & field); 2009 – Bram ten Berge, Ole Miss (golf) and Christine Magnuson, Tennessee (swimming & diving); 2008 – Joseph Sykora, Alabama (golf) and Kristen Hastrup, Auburn (swimming & diving); 2007 – Emeel Salem, Alabama (baseball) and Erika Schneble, Vanderbilt (track & field); 2006 – Rudy Niswanger, LSU (football) and Sarah Lowe, Florida (basketball); 2005 – Rob Robertson, Ole Miss (football) and Lauryn McCalley, Tennessee (swimming & diving); 2004 – Caesar Garcia, Auburn (swimming & diving) and Lauren Imwalle, Alabama (soccer); 2003 – Matt Bonner, Florida (basketball) and Kristin Sterner, Alabama (gymnastics); 2002 – Trey Dyson, South Carolina (baseball) and Tiffany Woolley, Arkansas (softball); 2001 – Scott Westerfield, Mississippi State (football) and Kim Black, Georgia (swimming); 2000 – Joey Pitts, Georgia (tennis) and Lisette Lee, LSU (golf); 1999 – Jeff Zurcher, Kentucky (football) and Jessica Field, Arkansas (volleyball); 1998 – Jeremy Jackson, Mississippi State (baseball) and Shani Abshier, South Carolina (volleyball) ; 1997 – Andrew DeVooght, Georgia (swimming) and Meredith Willard, Alabama (gymnastics); 1996 – Martin Nyberg, LSU (swimming) and Michelle Palmisano, Vanderbilt (basketball); 1995 – Michael Blanchard, LSU (football) and April Ecke, Mississippi State (cross country); 1994 – Peter Duitsman, South Carolina (soccer) and Tammy Newlon, Mississippi State (basketball); 1993 – Lang Wiseman, Tennessee (basketball) and Aimee York, Mississippi State (volleyball); 1992 – Jeff Laubenthal, Alabama (baseball) and Jenifer Kleyn, Auburn (volleyball); 1991 – Al Parker, Georgia (tennis) and Patty Wiegand, Tennessee (track and cross country); 1990 – Burke Masters, Mississippi State (baseball) and Janice Kerr, Florida (gymnastics); 1989 – Mikael Olander, LSU (track) and Deanne Burnett, Georgia (swimming); 1988 – Danny Hoskins, Ole Miss (football) and Linda Leith, Georgia (swimming); 1987 – Jeff Noblin, Ole Miss (football) and Julie Estin, Alabama (gymnastics); 1986 – John Young, Tennessee (track) and Virginia Diederich, Georgia (swimming).