The University of Missouri has selected Noah Surtin from the wrestling team and Taylor Williams from the swim and dive team as its nominees for the Southeastern Conference’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship. The announcement was made on April 21.
The McWhorter Award, established in 1986, is given each year to the SEC’s top male and female scholar-athletes. Recipients of the award receive a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship, while the other finalists are awarded $10,000 scholarships. Winners are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the conference’s 14 member institutions. The recipients will be announced in May and recognized at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida.
Noah Surtin is pursuing a Master of Science in business after earning his Bachelor of Health and Science in 2023. He is a four-time NCAA qualifier (2021-2024), four-time NWCA Scholar All-American (2021-2024), three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection (2022-2024), earned Academic All-MAC honors in 2021, was named twice to CSC Academic All-District teams (2022-24), is a two-time conference finalist, holds a career record of 66-30 with a .427 bonus-point rate, and received the Ben Askren Most Falls Award for 2022-23.
Taylor Williams majors in Health Science with an emphasis on Health and Wellness Services. She has been named to the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll for both 2023-24 and 2022-23, was on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in 2021-22, serves as Co-President of Mizzou’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for 2024-25, qualified for the NCAA championships in both the 100 Fly and 200 Fly events this year, holds program records as No. 2 all-time in Women’s 200 Fly (1:55.88) set at the Mizzou Invitational on November 17, 2023, No. 4 all-time in Women’s 100 Fly (51.78) set at the Mizzou Qualifier on March 3, 2024, and has accumulated fifteen first-place finishes during her career.
“Noah Surtin (wrestling) and Taylor Williams (Swim & Dive) were announced as Mizzou’s nominees for the Southeastern Conference’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship on April 21.”
“The McWhorter Award has been presented annually by the SEC since 1986 to the league’s top male and female scholar-athletes.”
“The SEC provides the league’s male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients with a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship.”
“The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions and are announced in May, as well as honored by the league membership at SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida.”