BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 11, 2016) –Justin Youtsey of the Auburn men’s diving team and Kala Faulkner of the Auburn soccer team have been nominated for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship by Auburn University.
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 2016 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 28.
Highlights of Auburn’s nominees include:
Justin Youtsey, Men’s Diving, Auburn
- College of Education Dean’s List (2014-16)
- SEC Academic Honor Roll (2013-15)
- National College Athlete Honor Society (2014-15)
- CSCAA Honorable Mention Scholar All-American (2013)
- Team representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee
- NCAA participant on the 1- and 3-meter boards as both a junior and senior
- Established new career highs on all three boards during his senior season
- Finished second on the 1-meter and fifth on the 3-meter at the 2016 Zone B Championships
- Placed fourth on the 3-meter and seventh on the 1-meter at the 2016 SEC Championships
- Won the 1-meter at six different events and the 3-meter twice during the 2015-16 season
- 2012 Olympic Trials qualifier
- Four-year letterwinner
Kala Faulkner, Soccer, Auburn
- Second Team NSCAA Scholar All-American (2014, 2015)
- Was one of just six players in Division I in 2015 to be a multi-year scholar All-American and the only player from the SEC
- NSCAA Third-Team All-American
- NSCAA First Team All-South Region
- All-SEC First Team
- SEC All-Tournament Team
- SEC Preseason Watch List
- Team captain and four-year letter winner
- Set the Auburn record for starts and consecutive starts in a career with 91
- Helped Auburn reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history
- Part of a defense that allowed just 23 goals over 23 games and posted 9 shutouts as a senior
- In four years was part of three NCAA Tournament teams
- Will graduate with a degree in exercise science
- Cumulative GPA 4.00
Each year, the SEC, in conjunction with AT&T, an SEC official sponsor, provides the league’s male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $7,500 post-graduate scholarship.
The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions and are honored at the SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin, Fla., in early June.
Last year’s McWhorter Award recipients were Nathanael Franks of the Arkansas track & field team and Maddie Locus of the Georgia swim team.
Swimming news courtesy of Auburn Swimming & Diving.
