The University of Mississippi Athletics
Kieckhaefer, Ten Berge Nominees For McWhorter Scholarship
3/27/2009 | Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Volleyball player Rachel Kieckhaefer and tennis player Bram ten Berge have been nominated by Ole Miss for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship.
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 2009 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.
Kieckhaefer, a senior from Hartford, Wisc., has a 3.60 grade point average, majoring in Dietetics and Nutrition. She has earned SEC Academic Honor Roll status four times as well as the Chancellor's Honor Roll five times and Dean's Honor Roll at Ole Miss.
She served as captain of the Lady Rebel volleyball team during the last three seasons and was a second-team All-SEC pick by the league's coaches the last two seasons. She was honorable mention All-South Region in 2007 and made the all-tournament team at the Magnolia Tournament in 2007 and the Marquette Tournament in 2008.
Kieckhaefer co-founded the Rebel Re-Runs, collecting and transporting gently used and new shoes to Kenya. She participated in Reading with the Rebels, reading to local school children, and participated in the SEC's "Together We Can" canned food drive for the last three years.
She is a member of Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities and participated in the Apple Conference, helping to revamp alcohol, drug and tobacco policies on campus. She also participated on Ole Miss' NCAA Recertification Committee, helping to prepare the school for NCAA recertification.
ten Berge, a senior from Maarssen, Netherlands, has a 3.97 grade point average, majoring in Classics, with a minor in German. He was the 2006 SEC Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has earned SEC Academic Honor Roll status three times. He has made the Chancellor's Honor Roll every semester at Ole Miss. He is a four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete recipient and is a nominee for Ole Miss' Taylor Medal, the highest academic honor at the University.
He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies and has earned the Eta Sigma Phi Award for Excellence in Latin twice.
On the tennis courts, ten Berge is an All-America and All-SEC performer and is captain of this year's Rebel squad, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. He was the 2008 ITA All-American Doubles Champion and a semifinalist in the NCAA Doubles Championship last season. He has helped lead the Rebels to an overall SEC Championship, four consecutive SEC West titles, two NCAA Sweet Sixteens, an NCAA Elite Eight and the NCAA Final Four in 2005.
ten Berge has been active in Special Olympics, organizing annual competitions in tennis, has participated in outreach programs to local elementary schools and planned, organized and participated in local canned food drives. He was also a member of Ole Miss' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years.
The SEC Office will be releasing each of its institution's nominees periodically until the April 6 winners are announced. The schedule is as follows:
Alabama - Michael Jung, Tennis (Male) / Brittany Rogers, Softball (Female)
Arkansas - Blake Strode, Tennis (Male) / Aurelija Miseviciute, Tennis (Female)
Auburn - Glenn Northcutt, Golf (Male) / Allison Whitworth, Soccer (Female)
Florida - Eugene Martin, Track & Field (Male) / Kelsey Bowers, Volleyball (Female)
Georgia - Kit French, Swimming (Male) / Courtney Kupets, Gymnastics (Female)
Kentucky - Tim Masthay, Football (Male) / Jessica Ortman, Track & Field/Cross Country (Female)
LSU - Rabun Fox, Track & Field (Male) / Lauren Klein, Gymnastics (Female)
Ole Miss - Bram ten Berge, Tennis (Male) / Rachel Kieckhaefer, Volleyball (Female)
Mississippi State - March 30
South Carolina - March 31
Tennessee - April 1
Vanderbilt - April 2
National Student-Athlete Day was created in 1987 by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, and presented by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
National Student-Athlete Day is held each April 6 to celebrate outstanding student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics while having made significant contributions to the community. It is also a time to recognize those parents, teachers, coaches and school systems which make it possible for young people to find the balance between academics and athletics.
Each year, the SEC, in conjunction with AT&T, an SEC Corporate Champion sponsor, provides the league's male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 22 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship. The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 12 SEC institutions and are honored at the SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin, Fla. on May 28.
Last year's recipients were Alabama golfer Joseph Sykora and Auburn swimmer Kristen Hastrup.
