SACE March Champions of the Month
3/28/2022 3:03:00 PM | Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, Champions of the Month
Student-Athletes from Women’s Basketball, Women’s Cross Country, Baseball and Men’s Track selected as March Champions of the Month
WACO, Texas – Ja'Mee Asberry (women's basketball), Jordan Ledington (women's cross country), Nolan Rodriguez (baseball) and Johnny Brackins (men's track & field) have been 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.
A grad transfer from Oklahoma State, Asberry helped the Bears win their 12th-consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship and earn a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament. She averaged 9.5 points per game and hit 80 3-pointers, the second-most in program history, part of a record 233 made 3-pointers by the team.
The Tulsa, Okla., native who is returning for an extra year of eligibility, Asberry has excelled in her educational psychology master's program and "always has a great attitude whenever she is interacting with our SACE team or needs assistance," said Aaron Tebo, Assistant AD for Academic Services. Ja'Mee said being at her best is "extremely important to me," and she is "grateful for everything that has come my way and for the challenges I continue to experience."
Ledington, a freshman majoring in pre-neuroscience, ran in five of the cross country team's six meets in the fall and had a PR time of 22:55.5 in the 6K race at Texas A&M's Arturo Barrios Invitational. She is the record-holder in the 800, 1,600 and 5K at Cedar Ridge High School. Academic coach Travon Carter said Jordan "has a difficult major and makes it look easy by putting in the work. I commend her for all the hard work that goes unnoticed."
Winner of the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in high school with a 5.0+ GPA, Ledington said that "Baylor Athletics pushes me to be the best version of myself, whether that be on the track, in the classroom, or as a person. I'm so thankful for the community and support I've found at Baylor."
Already a five-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioners Honor Roll, Rodriguez has been named to the Dean's List three times and was an Academic All-Big 12 first-team pick last year. The son of Baylor baseball head coach Steve Rodriguez, Nolan spent the Fall 2021 semester abroad in Washington, D.C., and worked for the Religious Freedom Institute on religious conflicts and genocides in in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
A third-year psychology major, Rodriguez had an internship last summer with the Federal Public Defender's office, where he was able to help the office and clients while learning different aspects of the legal system. Nolan, who also serves on the Huddle Council Executive board and is currently on the FCA leadership team, plans to attend law school and practice religious freedom law (1st amendment) or criminal defense.
Brackins, a freshman from Lee's Summit, Mo., earned his first All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. At the prestigious Texas Relays, he broke a 49-year-old school record in the long jump with a mark of 26-9 ¾ that placed second overall and first among collegiate competitors. Danny Brabham set the previous outdoor record of 26-9 ½ in 1973.
Excelling in the classroom as well, Johnny just "puts his head down and grinds," Carter said. "Johnny is what I would consider a blue-collar worker. He is constantly in my office studying hard and working hard and he does not ask for much." A double major in psychology and French, Brackins said "the academics here and the athletics here are making me better day by day, and I know it will lead to me being the best version of myself."
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.
A grad transfer from Oklahoma State, Asberry helped the Bears win their 12th-consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship and earn a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament. She averaged 9.5 points per game and hit 80 3-pointers, the second-most in program history, part of a record 233 made 3-pointers by the team.
The Tulsa, Okla., native who is returning for an extra year of eligibility, Asberry has excelled in her educational psychology master's program and "always has a great attitude whenever she is interacting with our SACE team or needs assistance," said Aaron Tebo, Assistant AD for Academic Services. Ja'Mee said being at her best is "extremely important to me," and she is "grateful for everything that has come my way and for the challenges I continue to experience."
Ledington, a freshman majoring in pre-neuroscience, ran in five of the cross country team's six meets in the fall and had a PR time of 22:55.5 in the 6K race at Texas A&M's Arturo Barrios Invitational. She is the record-holder in the 800, 1,600 and 5K at Cedar Ridge High School. Academic coach Travon Carter said Jordan "has a difficult major and makes it look easy by putting in the work. I commend her for all the hard work that goes unnoticed."
Winner of the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in high school with a 5.0+ GPA, Ledington said that "Baylor Athletics pushes me to be the best version of myself, whether that be on the track, in the classroom, or as a person. I'm so thankful for the community and support I've found at Baylor."
Already a five-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioners Honor Roll, Rodriguez has been named to the Dean's List three times and was an Academic All-Big 12 first-team pick last year. The son of Baylor baseball head coach Steve Rodriguez, Nolan spent the Fall 2021 semester abroad in Washington, D.C., and worked for the Religious Freedom Institute on religious conflicts and genocides in in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
A third-year psychology major, Rodriguez had an internship last summer with the Federal Public Defender's office, where he was able to help the office and clients while learning different aspects of the legal system. Nolan, who also serves on the Huddle Council Executive board and is currently on the FCA leadership team, plans to attend law school and practice religious freedom law (1st amendment) or criminal defense.
Brackins, a freshman from Lee's Summit, Mo., earned his first All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. At the prestigious Texas Relays, he broke a 49-year-old school record in the long jump with a mark of 26-9 ¾ that placed second overall and first among collegiate competitors. Danny Brabham set the previous outdoor record of 26-9 ½ in 1973.
Excelling in the classroom as well, Johnny just "puts his head down and grinds," Carter said. "Johnny is what I would consider a blue-collar worker. He is constantly in my office studying hard and working hard and he does not ask for much." A double major in psychology and French, Brackins said "the academics here and the athletics here are making me better day by day, and I know it will lead to me being the best version of myself."
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