Sept. 27, 2011

WACO, Texas - More than 400 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) student-athletes were named as the inaugural recipients of the 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award. A dozen Baylor student-athletes, the second-most of any FBS school, were honored.

The award was established by the 1A Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR) to recognize student-athlete academic achievement. Alabama led the nation with 16 student-athletes listed followed by Baylor's 12 and Arizona State, Ohio State and New Mexico with 11 each.

Recipients must have graduated in the past academic year with at least a 3.80 cumulative grade-point average and have participated in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics at an FBS institution in a sport sponsored by an FBS conference. Football student-athletes at FBS institutions that are independent in football were also eligible for the award.

The award was given to 432 student-athletes: 136 men and 296 women. Twenty-eight percent of the recipients majored in mathematics, science or engineering; 22 percent in business-related fields; 18 percent in social sciences or humanities; 12 percent in health-related studies; 7 percent in education; 6 percent in communications; and the remaining 7 percent in other fields.

Baylor recipients were:
Morgan Chambers - Women's Golf/Health Science Studies/Pre-Med
Leigh Ann Ganzar - Women's Track/Biology
Betsy Kyle - Soccer/Health Science Studies/Physical Therapy
Dominik Mueller - Men's Tennis/Finance
Taylor Ormond - Women's Tennis/English
Lindsay Palmer - Women's Basketball/Psychology
Lucy Quintana - Soccer/Health Science Studies/Pre-Med/Pre-Dental
Logan Roberts - Men's Track/Health Science Studies/ Physical Therapy
Chris Slater - Baseball/Finance
Caitlyn Trice - Volleyball/Health Science Studies/Physical Therapy
Nicole Wesley - Softball/Neuroscience
Tiffany Wesley - Softball/Health Science Studies/Pre-Med/Pre-Dental