Shields Named Finalist for H. Boyd McWhorter Post-Graduate Scholarship
Mikayla Shields recently capped off one of the best careers in South Carolina volleyball history, and after graduating last December with a degree in biology with a minor in psychology/pre-med and beginning her professional playing career in Finland, she intends to go to medical school. Shields will have a leg up in paying those bills after recently being named a finalist for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship.
“I’m incredibly honored,” Shields said. “It’s not everyday you get nominated for your school for such a prestigious award! I’m honored and humbled. For somebody to think that highly of me to achieve that standard of excellence was really cool.
“I’m going to take the M-CAT exam and going through the process of applying to medical school for 2021. So, I have another year to go see the world and get paid to do something I love, which is playing volleyball. I got my toes wet playing in Finland and wherever I end up, I know it will be a great experience. Then I’ll hope to start medical school in 2021.”
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. 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.
Shields has more time to work on her medical school applications after the professional league in Finland shut down as the COVID-19 pandemic spread.
‘”We were just about to go into our playoffs season,” Shields said. “We were on the bus on the road for a game, and as we were driving, we found out it had been canceled. A couple of days later, the whole league was shut down.
“Playing overseas is a whole different ball game. There are a lot of different philosophies and methods of playing. It was kind of like learning how to play volleyball all over again. The biggest adjustment was just in how much faster the game is and how much thinking is involved. I know that sounds strange, but I think a lot of college volleyball teams focus on the physical aspect of it and how big and strong can we be? I think I was well-prepared because (South Carolina head coach) Tom (Mendoza) is the kind of coach who would impress upon us that we have to think analytically and be smart about each game we play. On top of that, the coach that I had in Finland talked a lot about how we had to be smart in each game and think hard throughout the entire game.”
“t was such a cool feeling being able to step on a court and wear the South Carolina jersey to represent the school on my birthday.”
Shields is one of the most decorated players in South Carolina volleyball history. She was the first Gamecock to earn AVCA Third Team All-America honors last fall, after earning honorable mention All-American honors the previous two seasons, and she was a three-time All-Region and All-SEC selection. She ranks in the top 10 in kills, attacks, hitting percentage and points, and cracked the 1,500 career kills milestone. In the rally-scoring era only, she also ranks in the top 10 for aces, blocks and digs. Her 122 career matches played are tied for the program record for the rally-scoring era, and her 447 sets played ranks second.
“Some of my best memories are the times we made it to the NCAA Tournament,” Shields said. “Selection day is such a big thing in my mind because of where we came from while I was there. We weren’t great when I first got there, up until my junior year. As a program you want to be recognized as one of the best teams in the country. In the last two years, sitting down for selection Sunday, knowing that we had put in the work and put together a resume that said we are one of the best teams in the country, represented all of our hard work and showed how much our program had turned around.
“I also had always wanted to play volleyball on my birthday, which is December 7. In order to do that, it means you’re in the NCAA Tournament. My senior year, I actually got to play on my birthday! It was such a cool feeling being able to step on a court and wear the South Carolina jersey to represent the school on my birthday.”
South Carolina went 20-12 overall last fall and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.
The H. Boyd McWhorter award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions. Winners of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholarship will be announced later this spring.
