Auburn Swimmer TJ Leon Nominated as Rhodes Scholar

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

AUBURN, Alabama, October 17. Auburn student-athletes TJ Leon (men’s swimming & diving) and Patrick Young (football) have been recognized as two of Auburn’s Rhodes Scholar nominees, the university announced on Friday.

“TJ Leon and Patrick Young represent the best and brightest of our many outstanding student-athletes” Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs said. “They both have a scholar’s mind and a servant’s heart, and they epitomize what it means to be Auburn men. We are extremely proud of what they have done academically, athletically and in the community.”

TJ Leon of Mobile, Alabama, is a senior majoring in biomedical sciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. A recipient of Auburn’s highly competitive Cellular and Molecular Biosciences Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship, Leon was named the Cliff Hare Award winner, the 2014 SEC Men’s Swimming and Diving Male Scholar Athlete of the year and a NCAA Postgraduate Scholar. His major professor is Michael Squillacote in the Department of Chemistry.

Patrick Young of Trussville, Alabama, is a senior majoring in biomedical sciences (pre-medicine) in the College of Sciences and Mathematics and member of the Honors College. Young is a three-time Academic Top Tiger, a two-time member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll and the football team representative to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. In addition, he serves as a Younglife Leader at Auburn High School. Young’s major professor is Wendi Weimar in the Department of Exercise Science.

The Auburn student-athletes will compete for a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, which gives 32 of the most outstanding young scholars in the country an opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The scholarship, one of the oldest in the world, aims to nurture public-spirited leaders for the world’s future as it promotes international understanding and peace.

“These students evoke the core values of Auburn University,” said Melissa Baumann, assistant provost for undergraduate studies and director of the Honors College. “They have succeeded through hard work in their courses and extracurricular activities and they are men and women of character. We are pleased to nominate them for these prestigious scholarships.”

Other past finalists include former Auburn linebacker Ashton Richardson, diver Dan Mazzaferro, swimming student-athletes Jordan Anderson, Spencer Kerns and Erica Meissner. The list also includes equestrian’s Jennifer Waxman, gymnastics’ Krissy Voss and track and field’s Hunter Hayes. Anderson won the Rhodes Scholarship in 2009.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworl d .com.

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