When a student athlete receives a scholarship to play on or simply makes a team, they aren’t attending campus just to play a specific sport.
They are called students before athletes for a reason.
Every year Javelina Athletics names their TAMUK Scholar Athlete of the Year, an award that recognizes that their athletes are students just like the rest of the student body.
This year’s male and female Scholar Athletes of the Year are football player Jackson Allen and track athlete Jazmin Ray, both are recognized for excelling in their respective sports as well as in the books in their final year at TAMUK.
Not only did Ray receive the honor of Javelina Athletics Scholar of the Year, but she was also named the LSC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year. Ray also received the title of First Team All-American for her performances this season.
“I am elated and honored that I was chosen for the accolade. Education was always my top priority as a student athlete, but to rise to the highest levels in athletics and academics was this year’s collegiate highlight. This last year has been a whirlwind of new accomplishments such as graduation, multiple new records, conference/school accolades, and All-American status. I still can’t believe what I was able to accomplish this year,” Ray said.
Ray’s hard work and dedication on the track and in the class is also recognized by her peers on the track and field team.
“Jazmin is a wonderful student athlete. She works hard on the track and in class. Not everybody gets a 4.0 in electrical engineering and even less while being an athlete at the same time. But she did it! And then she chose to continue with a master’s in which she also excels. All her awards are so well deserved. She manages to get the highest GPA possible and break school record after school record and even become All American,” senior track athlete and recipient of the June Dotterweich Award for Excellence in the classroom and in competition Vitiana Robert said.
The Javelina Athletics Men’s scholar of the year is master’s graduate and one of this past football season’s team captains, Jackson Allen. Allen’s poise on the field as a leader showed not only when he was catching passes for the Javelinas, but as well as in the classroom earning himself a master’s degree in education this past May.
“Jack always had great time management. He knew what he needed to do and when he needed to do it. He knew it was important to stay on top of class and football. He carried himself like a professional,” TAMUK alumnus turned defensive end for the Arkansas State Red Wolves Demarcus Hendricks said.