SACE March Champions of the Month
3/7/2019 7:59:00 PM | General, Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, Preparing Champions for Life, Champions of the Month
Student-Athletes from Men’s Basketball, Football, Women’s Tennis and Equestrian selected as March Champions of the Month.
Waco, Texas – Freddie Gillespie (men's basketball), Jordan Williams (football), Livia Kraus (women's tennis) and Shyanne Smith (equestrian) were selected as the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence (SACE) March Champions of the Month.
This award recognizes student-athletes who achieve their personal bests in the areas of academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth.
Each of these student-athletes was nominated by a SACE team member based upon their embodiment of each of the four pillars.
Gillespie, a junior from St. Paul, Minn., left Division III Carleton College after the 2016-17 season to walk on as a non-scholarship player with the Baylor men's basketball team. Freddie earned a scholarship at the end of his redshirt season and has had a breakout junior season, recording his first double-double with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds in a road win at Iowa State and averaging 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds over the last 11 games.
Stellar in the classroom, Gillespie had a personal-best and team-high 3.91 GPA in the Fall 2018 semester, earning Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Baylor Dean's List honors. "Giving your best effort in everything you do is something I was taught early," said Gillespie, a political science major who is scheduled to graduate in August. "And it's a lesson I always try to follow."
A December 2018 graduate with one year of eligibility remaining, Williams played in all 13 games last season and started 11 at weakside linebacker, racking up 52 tackles, four stops behind the line, three pass breakups and two QB hurries for the Texas Bowl champions. The former all-state linebacker from Paris, Texas, hasn't missed a game the last three seasons.
Selected by the football coaches to participate in the Leadership Institute, he has participated in many community engagement initiatives and has also taken advantage of Character Formation resources such as career coaching and the career development program. "Leading does not always mean being the loudest," Jordan said. "Most of the time, it is done by example. And to be a good leader, you have to be able to be led as well."
Kraus, a sophomore from Nieder-Olm, Germany, has a 4.0 GPA as an exercise physiology major and also serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Honored to be an academic champion of the month, "because I try to push myself being better every day," Livia says, "and this now proves to me that hard work really pays off."
Currently ranked 59th in the country in singles, Livia was 6-1 in the fall and has an 8-5 mark this spring playing predominantly at the No. 1 singles spot. Named to the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Rookie teams, she led the team last year with 25 wins, helping the Bears advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite dealing with a career-ending back injury and other adversity during her career, Smith has never given up on her dream of getting a Baylor degree. The senior Western rider from Whitesboro, Texas, is a first-generation college student who has worked hard both in the classroom and with the equestrian team to be a valuable asset to the Baylor Family.
"I'm so proud of how far I've come academically during my time at Baylor," said Shyanne, a health, kinesiology and leisure studies major who is scheduled to graduate in May. "It's so nice to be recognized and honored for the hard work and commitment that I've put in these past few years."
This award recognizes student-athletes who achieve their personal bests in the areas of academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth.
Each of these student-athletes was nominated by a SACE team member based upon their embodiment of each of the four pillars.
Gillespie, a junior from St. Paul, Minn., left Division III Carleton College after the 2016-17 season to walk on as a non-scholarship player with the Baylor men's basketball team. Freddie earned a scholarship at the end of his redshirt season and has had a breakout junior season, recording his first double-double with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds in a road win at Iowa State and averaging 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds over the last 11 games.
Stellar in the classroom, Gillespie had a personal-best and team-high 3.91 GPA in the Fall 2018 semester, earning Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Baylor Dean's List honors. "Giving your best effort in everything you do is something I was taught early," said Gillespie, a political science major who is scheduled to graduate in August. "And it's a lesson I always try to follow."
A December 2018 graduate with one year of eligibility remaining, Williams played in all 13 games last season and started 11 at weakside linebacker, racking up 52 tackles, four stops behind the line, three pass breakups and two QB hurries for the Texas Bowl champions. The former all-state linebacker from Paris, Texas, hasn't missed a game the last three seasons.
Selected by the football coaches to participate in the Leadership Institute, he has participated in many community engagement initiatives and has also taken advantage of Character Formation resources such as career coaching and the career development program. "Leading does not always mean being the loudest," Jordan said. "Most of the time, it is done by example. And to be a good leader, you have to be able to be led as well."
Kraus, a sophomore from Nieder-Olm, Germany, has a 4.0 GPA as an exercise physiology major and also serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Honored to be an academic champion of the month, "because I try to push myself being better every day," Livia says, "and this now proves to me that hard work really pays off."
Currently ranked 59th in the country in singles, Livia was 6-1 in the fall and has an 8-5 mark this spring playing predominantly at the No. 1 singles spot. Named to the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Rookie teams, she led the team last year with 25 wins, helping the Bears advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite dealing with a career-ending back injury and other adversity during her career, Smith has never given up on her dream of getting a Baylor degree. The senior Western rider from Whitesboro, Texas, is a first-generation college student who has worked hard both in the classroom and with the equestrian team to be a valuable asset to the Baylor Family.
"I'm so proud of how far I've come academically during my time at Baylor," said Shyanne, a health, kinesiology and leisure studies major who is scheduled to graduate in May. "It's so nice to be recognized and honored for the hard work and commitment that I've put in these past few years."
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