March 30, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Soccer players Jimmy Maurer and Mollie Patton have been nominated for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship and track and field athlete Michael Zajac and basketball player Jewel May have been nominated for the Brad Davis Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship by the University of South Carolina.

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 SEC Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship was named for former Associate Commissioner Brad Davis. Davis succumbed to cancer on March 2, 2006. He had been a member of the SEC staff since 1988, first serving as an assistant commissioner until 1994 when he was promoted to associate commissioner.

The Southeastern Conference will name the 2010 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day. The Davis Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship winners will be announced on April 5.

Highlights of the Gamecocks’ nominees include:

Jimmy Maurer, Soccer (Male McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Nominee)

• Earned B.S. degree (magna cum laude) in Finance and Marketing in December 2010
• President’s List, Dean’s List and SEC Academic Honor Roll member
• Capital One/CoSIDA first-team Academic All-American
• Third-team NSCAA All-South Region (2010)
• Second all-time in Carolina history in shutouts
• Four-year starter and 2010 team captain
• Participated in free soccer clinics in the Columbia community
• Made frequent visits to children at Palmetto Children’s Hospital
• The Lawrenceville, Ga. Native is the son of T.A. and Betsy Maurer

Mollie Patton, Soccer (Female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Nominee)

• Earned a B.S. degree (magna cum laude) in Exercise Science in August 2010
• Currently working on Doctor of Pharmacy degree
• President’s List, Dean’s List and SEC Academic Honor Roll member
• First-team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American
• Second-team NSCAA Scholar All-Region
• Carolina all-time leader in career wins (45) and single-season wins (19)
• Has volunteered at Ronald McDonald House, Habitat for Humanity, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and American Red Cross.
• Also visited local elementary schools, reading to children
• The Milford, Ohio native is the daughter of Randy and Meg Patton

Michael Zajac, Track and Field (Male Davis Community Service Nominee)

• Will earn a B.S. degree in Accounting in May 2011
• Three-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic
• Three-time All-American (twice in Indoor Hammer Throw; once in Outdoor Hammer) and twice SEC runner-up in the weight throw
• Two-time team captain
• Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Lift Up America, SEC’s “Together We Can” food drive and the Columbia Food Bank.
• Helped coach inner city children at City of Columbia Summer Camp and visited elderly with “Gamecocks Giving Back.”
• The Lynchburg, Va. native is the son of Bert and Susan Zajac

Jewel May, Basketball (Female Davis Community Service Nominee)

• Will earn B.A. degrees in Psychology and Sociology in May 2011
• Dean’s List and SEC Academic Honor Roll member
• Four-year letter winner and three-year starter
• Team captain during senior season
• Earned one of the 26 NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarships for Careers in Athletics
• Served as mentor at South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice
• Volunteered with “Gamecocks Giving Back”, “Team Gamecocks”, and the Harvest Hope Food Bank.
• Assisted with MLK Day American Red Cross Telethon and helped raise funds for helping underprivileged families during Christmas
• The Conyers, Ga. native is the daughter of Dennis and Georgina May

The SEC Office continues releasing each of its institution’s nominees periodically until the April 6 winners are announced. The schedule is as follows:

• Alabama – McWhorter: Greg McElroy, football (male); Kayla Hoffman, gymnastics (female) / Davis: Dan Armstrong, swimming & diving (male); Jessica Allaway, rowing (female).
• Arkansas – McWhorter: Luke Laird, track & field (male); Michelle Stout, gymnastics (female) / Davis: Chris Nott, tennis (male); Britni Williams, soccer (female).
• Auburn – McWhorter: Dan Mazzaferro, swimming & diving (male); Erica Meissner, swimming & diving (female) / Davis: Justin Hargett, baseball (male); Addison Ragsdale, soccer (female)
• Florida – McWhorter: Michael Yuan, swimming & diving (male); Ali Crabb, track & field/cross country (female) / Davis: Bobby Walsh, swimming & diving (male); Megan Bush, softball (female)
• Georgia – McWhorter: Mark Dylla, swimming & diving (male); Chelsea Nauta, swimming & diving (female) / Davis: Asaph Levy, track & field (male); Bridget Lyons, track & field/cross country (female)
• Kentucky – McWhorter: Josh Nadzam, track & field (male); Lauren Rapp, volleyball (female) / Davis: Marcus Davis, football (male); Samantha DeMartine, softball (female)
• LSU – McWhorter: Sebastian Carlsson, tennis (male); Jane Trepp, swimming & diving (female) / Davis: Kyle Rose, track & field (male) / Courtney Alexander, soccer (female)
• Mississippi – McWhorter: Lee Moore, track & field (male); Emily Kvitle, volleyball (female) / Davis: Barnabus Kirui, track & field/cross country (male); Juliana Smith, track & field (female)
• Mississippi State – McWhorter: Derek Sherrod, football (male); Leanna Baldner, soccer (female) / Davis: Mark Melichar, football (male); Courtney Nesbit, softball (female)
• South Carolina – McWhorter: Jimmy Maurer, soccer (male); Mollie Patton, soccer (female) / Davis: Michael Zajac, track & field (male); Jewel May, basketball (female)
• Tennessee – March 31
• Vanderbilt – April 1

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 AT&T, an SEC Corporate Champion sponsor, provides the league’s male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 22 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $7,500 post-graduate scholarship. The Davis Award recipients each receive a $6,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by the SEC. The 22 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $3,000 post-graduate scholarship.

The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 12 SEC institutions and will be honored at the SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin, Fla. on June 3.

Last year’s McWhorter Award recipients were Auburn swimmer Jordan Anderson and Tennessee track & field athlete Phoebe Wright. The Davis Award recipients were Georgia track & field athlete John Egan and Auburn gymnast Krissy Voss.