BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas Southern golfer Jalyn Kuykendall has been named the 2017 Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Woman of the Year.
Kuykendall, who graduated from TSU earlier this year, excelled on the course as well as the classroom, holding numerous leadership positions through her intercollegiate athletics career and her undergraduate studies. A prime example of a scholar-athlete with a serve-first attitude, Kuykendall stood out as a premier candidate for the honor.
The Houston, Texas native received a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in human resources, maintaining a 3.66 GPA. Along the way, Kuykendall was a multiple-time recipient of academic honors, including being named to TSU’s Athletics Dean’s List as well as becoming a TSU President’s Dean List and Academic Dean’s List Scholar.
She is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honor society focusing on fostering excellence in field-related studies and leadership. Kuykendall served as vice president for the organization and was involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout her time at Texas Southern. On campus, Kuykendall was president of TSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and held the role of vice president for the SWAC’s SAAC during her senior year.
On the links, Kuykendall was named TSU’s Freshman of the Year and served as team captain for the Lady Tigers’ program as she helped guide them to the 2017 SWAC Women’s Golf Championship, the first in school history.
She is the third Texas Southern athlete to win the honor in the past four years, as Lady Tiger golfer Kassandra Rivera (2015) and TSU bowler Brianna Miller-LeForbes (2014) have also accomplished the feat.
The SWAC Woman of the Year is selected by league committee members using numeric scoring defined by guidelines and specific criteria during the candidate review. The selection process includes a review of the student athletes’ service and leadership, academic achievement, athletics excellence and personal statement. The candidates nominated must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA and participate in one of the member institutions sponsored sports.
As SWAC Woman of the Year, Kuykendall will also serve as the league’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year consideration. The NCAA selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From those 30 candidates, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. The Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
Courtesy: SWAC
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