SEC names Ole Miss nominees for McWhorter Award

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (April 19, 2023) - Jayda Eckford of the Ole Miss women's track and field team and Veeti Mahonen of the Rebels' men's golf team have been nominated for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship by the University of Mississippi.

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 2023 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on May 2.

Highlights of Ole Miss' nominees include:

ATHLETE	SPORT	MAJOR
Jayda Eckford, Ole Miss	Track & Field	Law Studies
Working toward her Master's in Criminal Justice has goal of becoming a federal prosecutor Five-time All-American Six-time NCAA East Region qualifier 2021 SEC Champion (DMR) Four-time SEC scorer Pan-Am U20 Silver Medalist (200-Meter), 2019 USATF U20 Silver Medalist (200-Meter), 2019 School records in the outdoor 200-meter, 4x100-meter

ATHLETE	SPORT	MAJOR
Veeti Mahonen, Ole Miss	Golf	General Business
SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll, 2021, 2022  Four-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Srixon/Cleveland GCAA All-American Scholar, 2020-21 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, 2019-20 Spirit International Golf Championship Selection, 2021 Competed in 17 tournaments for the Rebels, including 2021 NCAA Stillwater Regional Held an overall 73.57 stroke average Recorded best individual finish of tied for 6th at the Hoakalei Country Club Invitational during his freshman year Shot career-low rounds of 67 during the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Spring 2020) and the Vanderbilt Legends Collegiate (Fall 2020)

The SEC provides the league's male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship.

The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions and are announced in May, as well as honored by the league membership at SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Fla.

Last year's McWhorter Award recipients were Mississippi State football student-athlete Austin Williams and Lisa Gunnarsson of the LSU women's track & field team.