Georgia’s Kim Black Receives Top SEC Scholar-Athlete Award

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. April 18. UNIVERSITY of Georgia Olympic swimmer Kim Black has been named the female recipient of the 2000-2001 H. Boyd McWhorter Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer announced Wednesday.

The male winner is Scott Westerfield, a football player from Mississippi State. The two were chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 12 SEC universities. Both will receive a $10,000
post-graduate scholarship provided by Alltel. The award 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.

Black, who maintains a 4.0 grade point average in biology, helped the Lady Bulldogs to their third straight NCAA championship and fifth consecutive SEC
title this year. She was a member of the winning 800-yard freestyle relay team at the 2001 NCAAs and SECs, and she set season-bests in three events at SECs.

Black will be a member of the World University Games team after an eighth-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle at World Trials. She will be competing in the 800-meter free relay, the same event she earned a gold medal in at the 2000 Olympic Games. The World University Games will take place in Beijing, China, Aug. 22-Sept. 1.

"We are extremely proud of Kim for receiving such a high honor and it looks like it may be the first in a long line of many," Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle said, "I could not be more proud of Kim. She has been an amazing young lady during her time here at Georgia. She exemplifies what a student-athlete can be in the classroom, in the community and in the pool. She has been a part of three (NCAA) championships, but more importantly she has left her mark at Georgia as well as in the Athens community itself."

"She is a remarkable young lady," added Bauerle. "It is incredible how many things Kim can pack into one day's time. The University of Georgia and our swim program in particular is blessed to have her in our program the past few of years."

"The Southeastern Conference and Alltel are extremely proud to honor these two student-athletes for their accomplishments," Kramer said. "Through their
hard work, dedication and commitment — both on and off the playing fields — Kim and Scott have become leaders on their athletic squads, campuses and
communities. Kim and Scott have set the standard of excellence that has earned them the most prestigious honor in the SEC, the McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award."

Black, who is the daughter of James and Nancy Black, was a member of the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America Fall/Winter At-Large Team in 2000. She is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a Presidential Scholar at Georgia. During her freshman year at Ohio State University, Black was an OSU Scholar-Athlete and a member of the Dean's List.

Black has been active in many community service and campus activities, such as Athens-Clarke County Mentor Program, Athens Regional Medical Center and has spoken to numerous elementary schools about setting goals and her experiences at the 2000 Olympic Games. She also has been a member of the Alpha Lamda Delta, Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Epsilon Delta honor societies. She was a State of Georgia finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship and a 2000-01 Ramsey Scholar as one of the top 10 Georgia athletes by grade-point average.

Black plans on entering medical school following her undergraduate study at Georgia.

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

Black becomes the seventh Georgia athlete to win the award and is the fifth Bulldog swimmer to be honored. Past recipients include: 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).

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