BIRMINGHAM, AL — Football player Joey Sorrentino and gymnast Rebekah Zaiser are the University of Florida nominees 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 2010 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 6 in conjunction with National Student-Athlete Day.
Sorrentino, a native of Ocala, FL, has a 3.58 grade point average, majoring in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology. He is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and has made the Dean’s List five times. He has also been accepted into the UF’s College of Dentistry for graduate studies.
Sorrentino is a three-year letterwinner for the Gators, both at wide receiver and defensive back, and was a key contributor on special teams. He began his Gator career as a walk-on and through his work ethic on the field, was honored by his teammates, being named team captain for the 2009 season. He was nominated for the 2009 Rudy Award, which honors
inspirational players who best define character, commitment, contribution and courage.
He has been on the Gator football team’s Leadership Committee for three years, and is a 14-time recipient of the Florida Football Champions Club, which honors team members displaying a high work ethic (award given four times per year).
Sorrentino has also been active in the Gainesville community. Through the Goodwill Gators, he has participated in Climb for Cancer Sports Field Day and has been a UF Football Facility Tour Guide. He has also been a volunteer at Shands Hospital at UF, visiting with children and has also done work with the American Cancer Society. He was an
organizer and team captain for the Gator Charity Challenge, the football team’s strong man competition designed to raise awareness and donation pledges for charities in the Gainesville community.
Zaiser, a native of Mars, PA, has a 3.97 grade point average, majoring in Biology. She is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll (2010 Winter Honor Roll announced later this year). She has been a member of UF’s Honors College since 2006 and earned Dean’s List honors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2008 and 2009.
She has also been a three-time National Association Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Scholastic All-American, was the 2008 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Gymnastics and the Gator gymnastics team Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2008-09. Zaiser plans to start medical school in the fall of 2010.
Athletically, Zaiser is a three-year letter winner for the Gators. She was the lead-off competitor for the Gators on the balance beam and floor until sustaining a season-ending injury in 2009. As a senior, she set her collegiate-best beam mark of 9.95. That mark ties for fifth all-time on the Gators’ top beam scores list. The Gators claimed the SEC Championship in her freshman year and tied for second in 2008. Florida advanced to the NCAA Super Six team final the last three seasons.
She has been active in community service through her work with the Goodwill Gators. She has been a part of Climb for Cancer, Gator Pen Pals, Gator Tracks, youth school field days, visiting children at Shands Hospital and collected food for canned food drives. She also has served as a teaching assistant for a General Chemistry class at UF.
As part of the Gator gymnastics team, Zaiser has also participated in “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk,” served meals at Ronald McDonald House, organized and participated in the Harvest Food Drive and participated in “Link to Pink” gymnastics meet to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer.
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, FL on June 3.
Last year’s recipients were Mississippi tennis player Bram ten Berge and Tennessee swimmer Christine Magnuson.