SACE July Champions of the Month
8/1/2022 1:58:00 PM | Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, Champions of the Month
Student-Athletes from Football, Women’s Basketball and Soccer selected as July Champions of the Month
WACO, Texas – Alvin Ebosele (football), Richard Reese (football), Dree Edwards (women's basketball) and Marissa Gray (soccer) have been selected as the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence (SACE) July 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 freshman from Coppell, Texas, majoring in mechanical engineering, Ebosele has "displayed enthusiasm, reliability and great character" since his first day on campus, said associate director of learning support Molly Ann Walke. "Though he is a new student at Baylor, he is already showing his desire to be a good teammate and his commitment to excellence in the classroom and beyond."
Ebosele, a two-time All-District 6-6A first-team offensive lineman, said that being named a SACE champion of the month "just proves to me that I can handle any workload that's thrown at me and still excel. I've been able to balance school and football by just dividing out my time in the day."
Earning Class 4A all-state honors, Reese rushed for 2,261 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior at Bellville (Texas) High School and finished his career with 6,678 yards and 85 TDs. With last year's top three rushers gone, Reese joins a running backs room that includes Taye McWilliams, Craig Williams and Josh Fleeks.
"Richard has set the bar for future freshmen," said learning specialist Molly Pannell. "He consistently brings a good attitude and desires to achieve at a high level every day." Reese said that "coming to Baylor was hard, but I was able to adjust to it. When you put your mind to something, anything can get done as long as you have the right mindset."
One of four Division I transfers that coach Nicki Collen added to the 2022-23 roster, the 6-foot-2 Edwards averaged 16.8 points and 8.4 rebounds last season at Kentucky, hitting a late 3-pointer that lifted the Wildcats to a 64-62 win over top-ranked South Carolina in the SEC Championship.
At Baylor, Dree "was able to overcome some early challenges in Summer I to finish with a great first term," said academic coach Quentin Hendershot. "Her positive mindset and willingness to push herself to overcome the obstacles that had been placed in front of her ultimately led to her blowing the requirements . . . out of the water." Edwards said she was "so glad to be a part of a culture where they push you to be your best self in all aspects."
Gray, a senior midfielder/defender from Carrollton, Texas, "brings a light into any room she steps into," said associate director of academic services Cecilie Taylor. Instead of complaining when she had to take her first college physics course this summer, "she continued to push through and tried to get as much help as she could possibly receive by going to office hours, weekly tutoring, and relying on homework and YouTube."
Named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll four times, Gray has sat out the last two seasons with an injury after playing in all 19 games and starting 10 as a freshman in 2019. One of her favorite quotes comes from Morgan Harper Nichols: "The future will arrive when it is meant to arrive, and you do not have to exhaust yourself in the present moment trying to figure it out."
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 freshman from Coppell, Texas, majoring in mechanical engineering, Ebosele has "displayed enthusiasm, reliability and great character" since his first day on campus, said associate director of learning support Molly Ann Walke. "Though he is a new student at Baylor, he is already showing his desire to be a good teammate and his commitment to excellence in the classroom and beyond."
Ebosele, a two-time All-District 6-6A first-team offensive lineman, said that being named a SACE champion of the month "just proves to me that I can handle any workload that's thrown at me and still excel. I've been able to balance school and football by just dividing out my time in the day."
Earning Class 4A all-state honors, Reese rushed for 2,261 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior at Bellville (Texas) High School and finished his career with 6,678 yards and 85 TDs. With last year's top three rushers gone, Reese joins a running backs room that includes Taye McWilliams, Craig Williams and Josh Fleeks.
"Richard has set the bar for future freshmen," said learning specialist Molly Pannell. "He consistently brings a good attitude and desires to achieve at a high level every day." Reese said that "coming to Baylor was hard, but I was able to adjust to it. When you put your mind to something, anything can get done as long as you have the right mindset."
One of four Division I transfers that coach Nicki Collen added to the 2022-23 roster, the 6-foot-2 Edwards averaged 16.8 points and 8.4 rebounds last season at Kentucky, hitting a late 3-pointer that lifted the Wildcats to a 64-62 win over top-ranked South Carolina in the SEC Championship.
At Baylor, Dree "was able to overcome some early challenges in Summer I to finish with a great first term," said academic coach Quentin Hendershot. "Her positive mindset and willingness to push herself to overcome the obstacles that had been placed in front of her ultimately led to her blowing the requirements . . . out of the water." Edwards said she was "so glad to be a part of a culture where they push you to be your best self in all aspects."
Gray, a senior midfielder/defender from Carrollton, Texas, "brings a light into any room she steps into," said associate director of academic services Cecilie Taylor. Instead of complaining when she had to take her first college physics course this summer, "she continued to push through and tried to get as much help as she could possibly receive by going to office hours, weekly tutoring, and relying on homework and YouTube."
Named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll four times, Gray has sat out the last two seasons with an injury after playing in all 19 games and starting 10 as a freshman in 2019. One of her favorite quotes comes from Morgan Harper Nichols: "The future will arrive when it is meant to arrive, and you do not have to exhaust yourself in the present moment trying to figure it out."
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