SACE June Champions of the Month
7/1/2024 1:05:00 PM | Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, Champions of the Month
Student-Athletes from Women’s Basketball, Equestrian, Football and Men’s Track & Field selected as June Champions of the Month.
WACO, Texas – Jada Walker (women's basketball), Lauren Stebbins (equestrian), Kaian Roberts-Day (football) and Nathaniel Ezekiel (men's track & field) have been selected as the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence (SACE) June 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.
Walker, a senior from Richmond, Va., was one of eight Baylor student-athletes who attended the Black Student-Athlete Summit in Los Angeles. "Jada was able to network with other student-athletes and engage in meaningful conversations surrounding the wellbeing of black student-athletes," said Character Formation Coordinator Malcolm Givens.
The Kentucky transfer averaged 8.4 points and 3.3 assists in her first season at Baylor and scored a career-high 28 points in a road win over Virginia Tech that sent the Bears to their first Sweet 16 in three years. "I'm very grateful to have the community and support behind me academically," said Walker, who plans to start working on a master's in sport management this fall, "who believe in me and push me to be my best every day."
A senior psychology major from Atlanta, Ga., Stebbins attended the NCAA Career in Sports Forum in Indianapolis, where she was "able to network with student-athletes from different universities, professionals working in the field of athletics and learning more about themselves and their leadership skills," Givens said.
Stebbins attended Pace Academy in Atlanta and qualified for the 2020 Maclay Finals, Gladstone Cup, NCEA Finals and NHS Medal Finals. "I am so grateful for all the opportunities that Baylor has given me as a student-athlete that allow me to be successful in the classroom, improve in my sport and grow in my faith. My time at Baylor has been an enormous blessing," she said.
Roberts-Day, a sophomore from Festus, Mo., "finished the spring semester strong by working very hard and maintaining a positive attitude despite a stressful finals week," said Molly Ann Walke, Director of Learning Support. "He has improved tremendously throughout his time at Baylor, and I'm excited to watch his continued growth on and off the field."
Switching from running back to defensive lineman, Kaian played in six games last season as a redshirt freshman, mostly on special teams. "I feel great about my opportunity at Baylor," said Roberts-Day, who joined Jada Walker and six other Baylor student-athletes at the Black Student-Athlete Summit, "and I'm here to take full advantage of it."
A six-time All-American, Ezekiel captured his second-straight bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month with a time of 48.88. "Nathaniel has been killing it in the classroom and on the track," said Academic Coach Travon Carter. "He is a great example of what it means to be a Baylor Bear and a Champion for Life."
Ezekiel, a junior majoring in communications, will also represent Nigeria in the 2024 Olympics later this summer in Paris. "I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be at Baylor," Nathaniel said, "not just as a student but also as an athlete. It's been a great and challenging experience for me. A life without none of this has no stories to tell."
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.
Walker, a senior from Richmond, Va., was one of eight Baylor student-athletes who attended the Black Student-Athlete Summit in Los Angeles. "Jada was able to network with other student-athletes and engage in meaningful conversations surrounding the wellbeing of black student-athletes," said Character Formation Coordinator Malcolm Givens.
The Kentucky transfer averaged 8.4 points and 3.3 assists in her first season at Baylor and scored a career-high 28 points in a road win over Virginia Tech that sent the Bears to their first Sweet 16 in three years. "I'm very grateful to have the community and support behind me academically," said Walker, who plans to start working on a master's in sport management this fall, "who believe in me and push me to be my best every day."
A senior psychology major from Atlanta, Ga., Stebbins attended the NCAA Career in Sports Forum in Indianapolis, where she was "able to network with student-athletes from different universities, professionals working in the field of athletics and learning more about themselves and their leadership skills," Givens said.
Stebbins attended Pace Academy in Atlanta and qualified for the 2020 Maclay Finals, Gladstone Cup, NCEA Finals and NHS Medal Finals. "I am so grateful for all the opportunities that Baylor has given me as a student-athlete that allow me to be successful in the classroom, improve in my sport and grow in my faith. My time at Baylor has been an enormous blessing," she said.
Roberts-Day, a sophomore from Festus, Mo., "finished the spring semester strong by working very hard and maintaining a positive attitude despite a stressful finals week," said Molly Ann Walke, Director of Learning Support. "He has improved tremendously throughout his time at Baylor, and I'm excited to watch his continued growth on and off the field."
Switching from running back to defensive lineman, Kaian played in six games last season as a redshirt freshman, mostly on special teams. "I feel great about my opportunity at Baylor," said Roberts-Day, who joined Jada Walker and six other Baylor student-athletes at the Black Student-Athlete Summit, "and I'm here to take full advantage of it."
A six-time All-American, Ezekiel captured his second-straight bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month with a time of 48.88. "Nathaniel has been killing it in the classroom and on the track," said Academic Coach Travon Carter. "He is a great example of what it means to be a Baylor Bear and a Champion for Life."
Ezekiel, a junior majoring in communications, will also represent Nigeria in the 2024 Olympics later this summer in Paris. "I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be at Baylor," Nathaniel said, "not just as a student but also as an athlete. It's been a great and challenging experience for me. A life without none of this has no stories to tell."
Baylor Basketball (M): Big 12 Media Day Interviews (Scott Drew & Tounde Yessoufou) | Oct. 22, 2025
Thursday, October 23
Baylor Basketball (M): Big 12 Media Day Press Conference | October 22, 2025
Thursday, October 23
Baylor Coach's Show: Nicki Collen and Ryan McGuyre | October 22, 2025
Thursday, October 23
Baylor Basketball (W): Big 12 Media Day Interviews (Nicki Collen & Bella Fontleroy) | Oct. 21, 2025
Wednesday, October 22
