By Tom Neely
A total of 82 University of Kentucky student-athletes earned a place on the 2019 Fall Sports Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, announced last Friday by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. UK had the third-highest number of honorees and the Wildcat volleyball team tied for first in that sport.
The 2019 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2019 spring, summer and fall terms. UK’s SEC champion volleyball team had 11 honorees, tied for the league lead in that sport. In addition, UK had six representatives from men’s cross country, eight from women’s cross country, 30 from football, 17 from men’s soccer and 10 from women’s soccer. Among other qualifications, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding academic year or a cumulative 3.0 GPA in order to be named to the list.
In addition to the academic success, Kentucky teams also had success on the fields of competition in the fall. Volleyball advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, men’s soccer advanced to the NCAA Tournament second round, and the football team posted an eight-win season, capped by a championship in the Belk Bowl.
2019 SEC FALL SPORTS HONOR ROLL
Kentucky – Sport – Major
Dylan Allen – Men's Cross Country – Marketing
Cole Dowdy – Men's Cross Country – Biology
Tanner Dowdy – Men's Cross Country – Political Science, Finance
Gabriel Szalay – Men's Cross Country – Marketing
Matthew Thomas – Men's Cross Country – Marketing, Finance
Trevor Warren – Men's Cross Country – Management
Rachel Boice – Women's Cross Country – Biology
Kaitlyn Lacy – Women's Cross Country – Accounting
Mallory Liggett – Women's Cross Country – Kinesiology
Lainey McKinley – Women's Cross Country – Kinesiology
Sarah Michels – Women's Cross Country – Journalism
Madisyn Peeples – Women's Cross Country – Elementary Education
Caitlin Shepard – Women's Cross Country – Kinesiology
Kelli Walsh – Women's Cross Country – Finance, Accounting
Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald – Football – Communication
Tyrell Ajian – Football – Family Sciences
Elijah Barnett – Football – Communication
Tyler Beisner – Football – Undeclared/Exploratory Studies
Zac Berezowitz – Football – Economics
Blake Best – Football – Finance
Tyler Couch – Football – Sociology
Austin Dotson – Football – Sociology
Max Duffy – Football – Psychology
Brandin Echols – Football – Community and Leadership Development
Darren Edmond – Football – Digital Media Design
Luke Fortner – Football – Mechanical Engineering
Colin Goodfellow – Football – Nursing
Jordan Griffin – Football – Community and Leadership Development
Drake Jackson – Football – Agricultural Economics
Zach Johnson – Football – Health Promotion
Alex King – Football – Family Sciences
Shawn Lawson – Football – Sociology
Grant McKinniss – Football – Psychology
William Nalty – Football – Management
Joshua Paschal – Football – Family Sciences
Chance Poore – Football – Undeclared/Exploratory Studies
Matthew Ruffolo – Football – Clinical Healthcare Management, Finance
Andrew Schlegel – Football – Finance
Brett Slusher – Football – Accounting, Finance
Clevan Thomas – Football – Community and Leadership Development
Quintin Wilson – Football – Management
Mason Wolfe – Football – Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Walker Wood – Football – Agricultural Economics
Landon Young – Football – Animal Sciences
John Michael Bandy – Men's Soccer – Clinical Leadership and Management
Nicolas Blassou – Men's Soccer – Psychology
Elijah Borneo – Men's Soccer – Kinesiology
Kalil ElMedkhar – Men's Soccer – Accounting
Daniel Evans – Men's Soccer – Finance
Cole Guindon – Men's Soccer – Marketing
Jackson Hawthorne – Men's Soccer – Communication
Clay Holstad – Men's Soccer – Chemical Engineering
Jack Hudson – Men's Soccer – Community and Leadership Development
Colin Innes – Men's Soccer – Finance
Leon Jones – Men's Soccer – Chemical Engineering
Brock Lindow – Men's Soccer – Computer Engineering
Aime Mabika – Men's Soccer – English
Marcel Meinzer – Men's Soccer – Communication
Keyarash Namjoupanah – Men's Soccer – Management
Bailey Rouse – Men's Soccer – Civil Engineering
Robert Screen – Men's Soccer – Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Marissa Bosco – Women's Soccer – Psychology
Gina Crosetti – Women's Soccer – Integrated Strategic Communication
Taya Edwards – Women's Soccer – Nursing
Foster Ignoffo – Women's Soccer – Family Sciences
Hannah Leonard – Women's Soccer – Accounting
Gretchen Mills – Women's Soccer – Undeclared/Exploratory Studies
Caroline Newland – Women's Soccer – Nursing
Emma Shields – Women's Soccer – Marketing
Sarah Siekkinen – Women's Soccer – Civil Engineering
Hikari Yamada – Women's Soccer – International Studies
Caitlyn Cooper – Volleyball – Family Sciences
Gabby Curry – Volleyball – Management
Leah Edmond – Volleyball – Elementary Education
Gabby Goddard – Volleyball – Human Health Sciences
Madison Lilley – Volleyball – Integrated Strategic Communication
Kendyl Paris – Volleyball – Kinesiology
Cameron Scheitzach – Volleyball – Kinesiology
Kylie Schmaltz – Volleyball – Marketing
Avery Skinner – Volleyball – Communication Sciences and Disorders
Alli Stumler – Volleyball – Elementary Education
Lauren Tharp – Volleyball – Special Education
The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion three years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" two years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers." We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for four straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.