BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The conference office announced LSU Beach Volleyball’s Ellie Shank and Men’s Tennis’ Ben Koch are the LSU 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 2023 recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on May 2.
Shank is a force in the sand and in the classroom. She is a 2023 AVCA First Team All-American, 2023 CCSA All-Conference Team, 2023 AVCA Fall Pairs National Champion, 2023 USA Volleyball Women’s Beach Collegiate Champion and earned AVCA Top Flight on Court 5 in 2022. In 2023, Shank was the Athlete’s For Hop Student Athlete of the Year and has clocked 61 hours of community service since Oct. 2020.
Shank earned her undergraduate degree in Dec. 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. She was named to the LSU Dean’s List in Spring 2021, Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. Shank was named to the LSU President’s Honor Roll in Fall 2020, Fall 2021 and Spring 2020.
Koch is a three-time ITA Scholar Athlete, two-time SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll, and three-time SEC Honor Roll. He has received several awards and honors, including the Wally Pontiff Jr. Award, LSU Community Service Athlete of the Year, SEC Community Service Team, and ITA Community Service Team. He also is a three-time NCAA participant and clinched the doubles point to send LSU to the NCAA Championship in 2022.
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.
One of the McWhorter Award recipients last year was LSU men’s track and field student athlete Jackson Martingayle.
LSU has had two recipients in the past. Women’s track and field student-athlete Lisa Gunnarsson received the award in 2022. LSU volleyball student-athlete Kelly Quinn won in 2018.